10 Things I Mildly Dislike About You
by SprouseGoose
Summary: Another attempt at mixing the worlds of Suite Life and Shakespeare.
1. Our Story Begins

_**CHAPTER ONE**_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

**Author's Note: This is my follow up to A Rose by Any Other Name. Its not a sequel, but rather another story based on Shakespeare ****play. This time, its The Taming of the Shrew. And its also based on the modern day version 10 Things I Hate About You.**_  
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Maya Bennett looked up at the her new school standing before her. Cheevers High School. She sighed. It hadn't been her idea to be starting a new school in Seattle, but she didn't really have much of a choice in the matter. Her father had been transferred to a better paying job over the summer, and the next thing she knew, it was goodbye New York and hello Seattle. Even worse, she couldn't help but looking around and seeing lots and lots of people that she had no idea who they were. Sighing again, she walked in and made her way to the principal's office where she took a seat and waited to be seen.

After a few minutes, a bored looking secretary told her she could go on inside as the principal was ready to see her. Maya walked in and sat down in the chair in front of the desk. On the other side was a plump woman with short dark hair and glasses on the phone with someone. The name on the plaque on the desk said her name was Mrs. Militich. Maya didn't know what to make of her, but she could have swore her voice sounded familiar. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn it was Peggy Hill from King of the Hill.

Finally, she ended the phone call and looked up at Maya.

"So, you're Maya Bennett. Welcome to Cheevers High. I'm sure you'll find it to be a typical high school. You name a clique, and we probably have it here. Anyways, let me get your schedule for you, and I'll let you be on your way."

Mrs. Militich printed something off and pressed the intercom button.

"Send Addison in here right away." She turned back to Maya. "Here is your schedule, and I'm going to have Addison show you around. She'll help you get your feet wet. If you need anything...well, don't look at me."

Maya was taken aback, but the next thing she knew, she was being scooted out of the office and almost right into a petite girl who appeared to be full of energy.

"You must be Maya."

Maya shook her head to try to get her bearings. "Yeah, that's me."

Addison smiled. "I'm Addison, and welcome to Cheevers High. Come on, I'll show you around."

Maya shrugged her shoulders and followed Addison.

"You'll find we're a typical high school." She pointed. "Over there are the stoner/new age hippies. They aren't worth talking to as they will either forget what you were talking about, ask you to repeat everything or ask if you have any potato chips."

Maya frowned. "Good to know."

"Over there is the 'cool' kids. If there is a crown to be had, they will lie, cheat and steal to get it. But, they hold a lot of powerful positions in the school, so its best to not get on their bad sides."

"I'll have to remember that."

"And over there are the cowboys. We are thousands of miles from the nearest ranch, but try telling them that. They all wear cowboy hats and boots, and they seem proud to have their boots covered in cow dung. Don't ask. Nobody wants to know how."

Maya shuddered.

"And over there are the intellectual hipsters. But don't get to close. They are all hyped up on mocha lattes and are very jumpy."

Maya gave Addison a look and shook her head. Something else caught her eye, and Maya pointed. "And them?"

Addison sighed. "The future Candy Makers of America. Sweet is back and its good. Until two days ago, I was their queen!"

Maya just looked at her.

Addison shook her head. "Hostile takeover. Bunny Lowenstein promised them fine English candies for their support. But no fears...I have a plan to get back what's mine."

Maya just stared at her when she looked over and saw a very handsome young man. He had blonde hair and was walking along talking to a couple of other guys.

"Whoa! What clique does he belong to?"

Addison looked over and began to laugh. "He belongs to the 'You can look, but don't bother thinking of anything else' group."

Maya frowned. "Why? Is he a jerk or something?"

"No, he's nice enough. But if you have hopes of going out with him, its a waste of your time."

"Why?"

"That's Zack Martin. His mother is very strict, and she refuses to allow him or his twin brother to date until they are 18."

Maya's eyes went wide. "Twins? There's two of them?"

Addison began laughing. "They may be twins, but you could hardly say they are alike. Zack is pretty outgoing, but Cody doesn't care to do so. He's an intellectual too, but he seems to roll his eyes at all of the high school hierarchy."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They look enough alike, and so both are considered handsome. But for some reason, Cody just looks down his nose at all high school girls..."

Maya paused. "Is he...?"

Addison shook her head. "No. Girls have tried throwing themselves at him too, but with no success. In fact, one time, he was so mean to Jamie Summers, he made her cry. He just prefers to be my himself. Well, almost..." Addison pointed off to the left and sighed. "He does have his one friend, Woody, that he hangs out with. Both are pretty much considered losers around here."

"Back to Zack, why can't he date until he's 18?"

Addison shrugged. "Not sure. Rumor is his Mom is a little bit psychotic. She's a cabaret singer at the Seattle Tipton...speaking of which." Addison pointed to a well dressed girl walking with her own entourage following her. "That's London Tipton. Her father is filthy rich and gives her everything she wants. She's dumb as a rock though. This is her third senior year."

Maya just watched her. "Which group does she fit into?"

"Her own. She can buy her way into any group she wants. What London wants, London gets. Well, almost."

"What do you mean?"

Addison turned to her. "With her being so pretty and rich, every guy in school wants to go out with her. But she the one she wants is your new boyfriend, Zack."

Maya looked surprised. "She does?"

"Because she can't have him right now. That really gets to her. He's one of the two guys in school she can't have. Of course, the other being Cody."

Maya paused. "There has to be someway to get close to Zack even if he can't date..."

"Well, you are in luck. Word is he is looking for a French tutor."

Maya smiled. "That's perfect!"

"You speak French?"

"I took two years in junior high back in New York. And what I don't remember, I'll wing it..."

Across the way, Zack was talking to his friend Theo when a limo pulled up along side of them. The window rolled down, and London stuck her head out of it.

"Hey, Zack...I was about to head back to the Tipton. Want a ride?"

Zack grinned. "I'd love one! Thanks, London."

And with that, Zack hopped into the limo. The last thing anyone saw was Zack sticking his head and arms up through the sunroof and screaming. And among those who saw this was his brother.

Cody smirked. "Well, isn't that interesting..."

Woody looked at him. "Forget about it. You of all people should know how Zack is."

Cody just shook his head and climbed into his car. "Don't remind me. See you later, Woody."

"Later, Cody."

Later that afternoon, Cody was sitting in the main room of their suite on the 23rd floor of the Seattle Tipton, engrossed in the book he was reading. The door opened, and Carey Martin came into the room.

Carey smiled. "Hey, Cody."

Cody looked up and smiled. "Hey, Mom."

"A thick envelope came for you today from Yale University. Why are you getting envelopes from Yale?"

Cody jumped up and grabbed the envelope and opened it. He skimmed the first couple of lines and looked up with the biggest smile on his face. "I got in! I got in to Yale!"

Carey frowned. "Yale? But I thought you were going to stick around here and go to UW like I did. Yale is on the other side of the country..."

"Hence the basis of its appeal!"

At that time, Zack came strolling in into the apartment with a grin. "Afternoon, Mom."

Carey smiled at him. "Hey, Zack." She turned back to Cody. "I'm not done talking about Yale, Cody."

Cody smirked. "Why don't you ask what hotel heiress gave him a ride home this afternoon?"

"Quit trying to change the...Wait...What? Who gave you a ride home, Zack?"

Zack glared at Cody before turning to his Mom. "I got a ride home from London Tipton. You should see her limo, Mom. Its so cool! And she wants to go see a movie later if its okay with you."

Carey shook her head. "I don't think so. No dating until you're 18."

"But Mom! Every other guy my age is dating!"

Carey smiled. "You're brother isn't."

Cody laughed. "Exactly. Have you seen the girls that go to our school? No thank you."

Zack rolled his eyes. "Why should I have to suffer just because Cody is an antisocial headcase?"

Carey rolled her eyes. "Look. I need to go rehearse for my show later. We'll discuss this when I get back."

Zack looked at his Mom imploringly. "But Mom!"

Carey just looked at him. "Alright, Zack...You can date..."

Zack pumped his fist. "Yes!"

Cody looked at his mom incredulously. "Mom!"

Carey smiled. "You didn't let me finish. Zack, you can date...When Cody dates. I'll see you both later." Carey paused and turned back to Cody. "And I'm not done talking about Yale yet!"

Cody rolled his eyes. "Can't wait..." Carey left, leaving the two brothers alone.

Zack turned to his brother. "Can't you find some loser to date so that I can have one night of teenage normalcy?"

Cody smirked. "Sorry, Zack...I'll guess you'll just have to miss out on the wit and charm of London 'Yay Me!' Tipton..."

Cody headed into their bedroom as Zack just glared at him. "You suck!"

Cody just shook his head and mocked him. "You suck!"

__To be Continued...__


	2. A Plan is Devised

_**CHAPTER TWO**_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

Later that week, Maya found herself in the library of Cheevers High sitting across the table from Zack Martin. She had followed up on Addison's suggestion and offered to tutor Zack in French. And to her delight, he had smiled and graciously accepted her offer. Today was to be there first study session, and Maya had high hopes.

"Okay, try this one...Le stylo de ma tante est sur le bureau de mon oncle..."

Zack just stared at her. "What does that mean anyways?"

"It means the pen of my aunt is on the bureau of my uncle..."

Zack rolled his eyes. "And just how is knowing how to say that ever going to come in useful to me?"

Maya smiled. "Baby steps. You have to get used to the language before you can find yourself using it in the ways that you want to do..."

Zack shook his head. "This just sounds like such a waste of time to me. I mean, when am I ever going to use this? I don't plan on ever going to France. And its not like I'm ever going to be on a cruise ship that goes around the world. This is America...we speak American."

"You mean English."

"Whatever..."

Maya paused. "Well, you know, there are other ways to get yourself submerged into the French culture to make this easier on you."

Zack was intrigued. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Well...ummm...you could eat French food...go to French restaurants..."

Zack grinned. "Well, I already love French fries and French toast...And I love going to Au Bon Pain..."

Maya shook her head. "No, I mean real French cuisine in a real French restaurant..." She paused. "Maybe we could go together?"

Zack just looked at her. "You mean like on a date?"

Maya blushed. "Well...yeah...if you're interested..."

Zack smiled. "Well, I'd love to..." He paused. "But I can't. My Mom won't let me date..."

Maya nodded. "Yeah, I had heard that rumor. Is your Mom just old fashioned or something?"

Zack sighed. "Not really. She got pregnant with my brother and I when she wasn't much older than we are right now. I think this is her way of making sure we don't throw our lives away like she thinks she did hers. Plus, my Dad bailed on Mom before we were even born, and she is still bitter about that. If you ask me, she wants to make sure we are responsible gentlemen...the exact opposite of our Dad."

"I guess I can understand that..."

Zack smiled. "But the good news is that she has softened her stance. I can date now...when Cody starts dating."

Maya lit up. "That's great news..."

Zack smirked. "It would. But you haven't met my brother...I can't think of any normal, sane girl who would want to go out with him..."

Maya paused to think. "Maybe there is...If I can find someone, how does a French dinner sound?"

Zack grinned. "If you can find a girl who willingly wants to go out with Cody, I would do anything you wanted to do!"

A day later, Maya and Addison were walking through the school talking. And Addison just looked at Maya in disbelief.

"You really want to find someone to go out with Cody Martin? Why not just try to create cold fusion...it'll be easier..."

Maya shook her head. "There has to be someone."

Addison sighed. "Let me think. Meet me after school, and I might have a few ideas..."

So, after school, Maya met up with Addison, and Addison had assembled one of the oddest groups of girls she had ever seen. Maya shrugged and began talking to all of them. And one by one, all of them flat out refused to consider going out with Cody. The next day, they were sitting in their biology lab trying to regroup.

"There has to be someone!"

Addison shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Those were all of the desperate girls in the school that I could think of..."

Maya sighed and looked over at another table and saw a girl hovering over a dissection tray all by herself. "What about her? Who's that?"

Addison looked over. "Oh...That's Bailey Pickett. You want to avoid her at all costs!"

"Why?"

"Well, rumor is she once killed a boy who looked at her funny. She disappeared for an entire semester last year. We're all pretty sure she's crazy. We think she's spent time in a loony bin..."

Maya paused to think. "She might just be what we're looking for then. Someone like her won't be afraid of Cody like everyone else appears to be..."

Addison sighed. "Maybe...I guess it wouldn't hurt to try..."

Later that day, Bailey was alone in the art lab working on a painting when Maya and Addison walked in and right up to her table. Bailey tried to ignore them, but after a few minutes, she sighed and turned to them.

"What do you two want?"

Maya became nervous. "Ummm...I was hoping to ask you a favor..."

Bailey turned back to her painting. "I don't do favors..."

Maya was scared and held up her Fench book in front of her"I just think that if you..."

Bailey took her paint brush and reach over painted a large 'X' on Maya's book. She stared at Maya. "You were saying?"

Maya swallowed and backed up away from Bailey. She and Addison began running away from her as fast as they could. And once they got far enough away, they stopped to catch their breath. Addison looked over at her.

"Told you she was crazy!"

Maya was panting too. "You might be right about that...but I still think she's exactly what we are looking for..."

Addison just gave her an incredulous look. "You can't be serious..."

"I'm dead serious. From what everyone says, Cody is an antisocial outcast. Who better than someone who appears to be just as antisocial if not even more. We just need a new approach...that's all."

Addison paused to think. "Well, we could try to pay her to do it..."

Maya shook her head. "I don't have money like that."

"I don't either, but I might have an idea...but you might not like it though."

"I'm all ears."

"Well...Remember, you aren't the only one who wants to date Zack."

Maya sighed. "I remember...that airhead London Tipton."

"Yeah, she's an airhead...but she's a rich airhead..."

"What's your point?"

Addison smiled. "Simple. We persuade London to be our financial sponsor. We get her to pay Bailey..."

"And just how do we get her to do that?"

"Again...Simple. We play it up to London that if she bankrolls someone to take Cody out, she gets what she wants in Zack."

Maya frowned. "But that's not what I want..."

Addison smiled and cut her off. "I know that...and you know that. But London doesn't. We let her think its her idea. And while Bailey is hopefully wooing Cody, you can get tutoring Zack and getting closer and closer to him. And if Bailey is successful, you'll be right there to get your knight in shining armor..."

Maya paused. "I guess that could work..."

"Do you really have any other options?"

Maya sighed. "No, not really..."

Addison grinned. "Trust me. I'm almost positive this can work. And once London is able to bring Bailey in, we can help her behind the scenes in winning Cody over..."

Maya thought about that. "Yeah, I guess we can."

Addison kept grinning. "We need to go find London Tipton then..."

__To be Continued...__

**Author's Note: I finally introduced Bailey, and many of you may wonder why she is acting the way she is. And you may be wondering why Cody is acting the way he is. I will explain that all in good time. While this will be similar to the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, I am making several artistic changes.  
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	3. First Contact

**_CHAPTER THREE_**

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

The next day at lunch, Maya and Addison were gathered in the corner of the lunchroom. While Maya wasn't exactly enthused about this idea, she still hadn't come up with a better one. So, it was with great reluctance that she gave Addison the green light to proceed. Addison smiled, headed over to the table that London Tipton was sitting at and sat down in a chair next to her. London looked over at her and just stared at her.

"I think you have the wrong table, Candy Girl..."

Addison gave a nervous laugh and looked around. "Oh wow! Is that a peach fruit roll up? You really don't see a peach fruit roll up much anymore. Where did you..."

London cut her off. "I think you should leave before something bad happens to you. Daddy can make you disappear and never be heard from ever again..."

Addison swallowed. "Okay, I came here to offer you my help..."

London laughed. "And just how can you help me? I'm London Tipton after all..."

"I can help you get the one thing your money can't buy you...Zack Martin."

London paused. She grabbed a marker out of her purse and began drawing on Addison's face. "You have my attention now. Speak."

Addison was unnerved by London's action but continued anyways. "Well, the word is that his Mom has changed her rule. Zack can date now once Cody does too..."

London smirked. "Yeah, good luck with that. I mean...look at his hair and his butt...not to mention his pasty skin...and do I even have to mention the clothes he wears? What girl in their right mind would want to go out with him"

Addison frowned. "But he's the identical twin brother of the guy you want to date..."

London gave her a funny look. "What's your point?"

Addison shook her head. "Anyways. My point is maybe there is a girl out there who would date him if you made it worth her while."

"What do you mean?"

"You know...grease her palm a little bit."

London was confused. "You want me to put grease on her hand?"

Addison sighed. "No...I mean pay her to go out with Cody!"

London paused. "Oh..."

Addison pointed at Bailey across the lunchroom. "And I think she would be the perfect candidate."

"Her? Did she once eat a whole chicken whole?"

"Everything but the beak and the feet. So, clearly, you can see she would be a wise investment."

"How? I mean look at her...It looks like she gets her hair done at a dog groomers...she has pasty skin...and look at the clothes she wears. They're hideous!"

Addison smiled. "See...they have so much in common already."

London paused to consider that. Then she turned to face Addison. "Not a bad idea. What's in it for you though?"

"You know...if I see you walking down the hall and I say 'hello', you acknowledge my existence and say 'hi' back..."

London sighed. "I see. Cool by association. I'll think about it."

Addison nodded. "Good." She continued to sit there at the table.

London rolled her eyes. "We're done here!"

"Oh yeah...ummm...bye."

Addison got up from the table and made her way over to where Maya had been staying out of sight. Maya looked at her expectantly.

"Well?"

Addison smiled. "Worked like a charm...I think."

Maya sighed. "I'm still not sure this is a good idea though."

"Don't worry about it. While London is busying getting Bailey on board, you'll be spending time with Zack and getting to know him."

Maya nodded. "Well, I do like that part."

Addison nodded and paused. "I have dollar signs on my face, don't I?"

Later that day, after school, everyone was at the Cheevers High athletic fields for one purpose or another. Cody was busy during soccer practice. While most were wary of him, they still couldn't deny that he was probably the best on the team...if not the most aggressive. Meanwhile, Bailey was sitting on the bleachers reading a book. It was too nice of a day to be inside especially if people would leave her alone. London, on the other hand, was in a pink track suit, hanging out with her entourage. But all day, London had been thinking about Addison's idea and decided it was worth a shot. So, she made her way over to where Bailey was sitting. Bailey sensed she was there and sighed.

"Can I help you?"

London paused. "Ummm...Had any good chicken lately?"

Bailey rolled her eyes. "That's original. What do you want?"

London shrugged that off and pointed to Cody out on the soccer field. "You see that guy out there?"

Bailey looked over. "Yeah. What about him?"

"That's Cody Martin. I want you to go out with him."

Bailey just gave her an incredulous look. "Excuse me?"

"Look. I can't go out with his brother until Cody starts dating too. You see...their mother is uber strict and won't let Zack date unless Cody does too. So if I can..."

Bailey looked back down at her book. "Sorry. Its a touching story, but its not my problem."

London just looked at her. "Would you be willing to make it your problem if I were to generously compensate you?"

Bailey's head snapped up. "What did you just say?"

"I said I'm willing to pay you to go out with Cody..."

Bailey paused. While the thought of being paid to go out with someone wasn't high on her list of things to do, the money would be nice. After her family had lost their farm back in Kansas, they had to move to Seattle and live with her Aunt and Uncle. Her Dad was struggling to find a job, but it would make things a whole lot easier if she could bring in some money herself. She had offered to get a job after school, but her Dad had flat out refused that. He wanted her to keep her grades as high as possible in hopes of getting a scholarship for college. And maybe it would be nice to actually get to know someone here in Seattle. Ever since she had gotten there, people had treated her as an outsider or thought of her as stupid due to her accent. Of course, that one incident her first week probably didn't help matters any either. She looked over again at the soccer field and at Cody Martin. If she was honest with herself, she had to admit he was really cute. While she didn't know much about him, she had heard some stories. But free money to date a guy? Bailey knew it could really help her family, so she couldn't pass that up.

"How much are we talking about?"

London smiled. "How does $20 sound?"

Bailey paused. She had heard London Tipton was kind of stupid. Why not find out if it were true. "Nope. Even going to the movies alone would run over $100 and that's not including Sour Patch Kids. And Cody definitely looks like a Sour Patch Kids kind of guy..."

London sighed. "Fine. Here's $200. Take it or leave it, Trailer Park."

Bailey smirked. "Deal...Paris."

London scowled as she forked over two one hundred dollar bills and walked off. Bailey sat there holding the money in her hand. While this money would certainly help, now came the hard part. Scrounging up all of her courage, she walked down on to the field to where soccer practice had just ended. Cody was standing by a bench pulling a bottle of water out of his bag. Bailey took the plunge and walked over to him.

"Hey there, Cutie...How are you doing?"

Cody looked up at her in surprise before his defenses kicked back in. "Sweating like a pig, and yourself?"

"Actually, pigs don't have sweat glands. They roll around in their own feces to keep cool..." Bailey wanted to kick herself immediately after saying that, but she covered as best as she could. "But it is a good look on you..."

Cody sighed. "My mission in life. But, it obviously struck your fancy, so the world makes sense again..."

Bailey paused. This wasn't going like she had planned. "So, how about you pick me up on Friday night then?"

Cody just looked at her. "Friday? Uh huh...Whatever..."

Bailey smiled. "It'll be fun..."

Cody stopped and looked at her. "Do you even know what my name is?"

"I know a lot more than that..."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Doubtful...Very doubtful..." And with that, Cody walked off leaving Bailey standing there in shock but a little impressed at the same time.

Watching this all unfold from the bleachers was Maya and Addison. Maya turned to Addison.

"We're screwed!"

Addison tried to cheer her up. "Hey! I don't want to hear a defeatist attitude. I want to hear you upbeat!"

Maya plastered on a fake huge smile and sounded cheerful. "We're screwed!"

Later that night, in a suite on the 23rd floor of the Seattle Tipton, Cody was standing in front of the bathroom mirror after washing his face and moisturizing. Zack walked in behind him.

"You know, you look enough like me that if you tried, you could have all of the babes hanging off of you..."

Cody rolled his eyes. "I doubt that..."

Zack smirked. "Well, you would have to lose the hostile attitude and actually be nice to people."

Cody sighed. "I don't care what people think."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't..." Cody paused. "You know, Zack. You don't always have to be what people want you to be. Its okay to be yourself."

Zack shook his head. "I actually like being adored thank you very much...And you might like it too if you tried"

Cody looked back in the mirror again. He had tried that once, and it had ended horribly. He had vowed he would never let it happen again.

_To be Continued..._


	4. Allies & Enemies

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

The next day, everyone tried to continue on with their lives. For Cody, it mean hitting the local organic food store to pick up an assortment of new herbs and spices. One of his passions in life was cooking, and he had grown up around the hotel head chef, Chef Paulo. It was one of his hidden talents that knew one knew about, even Zack. Sure, Zack knew Cody did cook frequently, but he just chalked it up to him trying to avoid their Mom's awful cooking. As for Bailey, she had been out running some errands for her parents when she saw Cody's car parked outside of the store. She figured it was a chance to take another shot at talking to Cody. So, she was waiting outside of the organic food store leaning against his car when he came out.

"Nice ride. A hybrid. Very sharp and good for the environment."

Cody looked up from the bottle of organic oregano he was looking at. Once he saw it was Bailey, he sighed. "Are you following me?"

"I was in the store across the street and I saw your car. I came over to say hello."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Hi." He continued to walk past her and put his bag in the car.

Bailey paused. "Not a real big talker, huh?"

Cody looked at her. "Depends on the topic. My hybrid car has never really been a topic of conversation before."

"Well, I care about the environment, so I appreciate it when I see someone else who cares."

Cody was a little confused, but he wasn't about to back down. "Why the sudden interest in me?"

Bailey just looked at him, a little bit in fascination. "You aren't afraid of me, are you?"

"Of course not. Why would I be afraid of you?"

Bailey sighed. "Because most people are."

Cody shrugged. "Well, I'm not."

That was definitely a new experience for Bailey, especially since moving to Seattle. She was so flustered, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Well, I bet you've been thinking of me, right?"

Cody rolled his eyes again and responded sarcastically. "Am I that transparent? You got me. I want you. I need you. Oh baby. Oh baby." And with that, Cody opened the car door and got inside.

Bailey stepped to the side, taken aback. But before she could say anything else, a little red sports car pulled up right behind Cody's car. Cody looked back in exasperation.

"What is this? Annoy Cody day?" Looking back again, he saw London get out of the car and walk right past his window. "Do you mind?"

London kept walking with a smirk on her face. "Not at all."

Cody gritted his teeth in anger before an idea popped into his head. With a smile, he put his car in reverse and backed right into the side of London's little sports car. The resulting collision left a few scratches to Cody's bumper which he could care less about. But London's driver side door was dented and her perfect paint job was ruined.

London came back out screaming. "You jerk!"

Bailey could only look on in complete fascination and actually found herself laughing at what Cody had done. She was realizing that Cody Martin wasn't like anyone she had ever met before. He seemed to buck all of the trends of the high school hierarchy and just didn't care. And now, he really intrigued her.

Cody popped his head out of the driver side window and smiled. "Whoops..."

"Whoops?"

Carey Martin looked down at her youngest son who was reading on the couch.

"My insurance doesn't cover...are you sure you aren't on steroids and that was roid rage?"

Cody sighed. "I'm not on steroids, Mom. Just tell them I had a seizure."

Carey looked at her son again. "Is this about Yale? Are you punishing me because I want you to stay close to home?"

Cody put his book down and stood up. "Aren't you punishing me because of what Dad did?"

Carey was taken aback. "Can we leave him out of this?"

"Fine! Then stop making my decisions for me!"

"I'm your mother! That's my right!"

"So, what I want doesn't matter?"

Carey sighed. "You're still only 17. You don't know what you want. And by the time you do, you'll be too old to know what to do with it."

Cody was getting angry. "I want to go to an east coast school. I want you to trust me to make my own choices. And I want you to stop trying to control my life just because you can't control yours!"

Carey was stunned. "Well, you know what I want?" But before she could say anything, she got a beep to head downstairs for a practice. "We'll continue this later."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Can't wait."

About that time, Zack came running into the suite. And immediately, he came running up to his brother.

"You just destroyed London's car!"

Cody shook his head. "So?"

Zack was getting heated now too. "Has it escaped your attention that you have gone completely psycho?"

Cody rolled his eyes again and walked away. Zack was still so angry he didn't know what to do. "Mom!"

The next day at school, Bailey was at her locker between classes changing out books. When she closed her locker door, she found London Tipton standing there glaring at her.

"Listen Farm Girl...When I pay out big money, I expect results!"

Bailey took a step back. "Look, I'm working on it."

London glared even harder. "I don't consider standing there laughing while that loser violates my car to be working on it!"

"Well, you did park right behind him. You really should have saw that coming..."

London was incredulous. "I'm not paying you to give play by play commentary. I'm paying you to do a job!"

Bailey paused. "Why do I get the sense there is some back history between you and Cody?"

"He's a loser. He's always been a loser, and he'll always be a loser. I should just have had Daddy make him disappear."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Yeah, that would be a good way to get in good with Zack. Make his brother disappear..."

London paused. "Look. I'm paying you well. So get to work!" London turned to walk away when she heard Bailey say something.

"I just upped my price."

London did a 360 on her heels. "Excuse me?"

"I want $200 a date. In cash. In advance."

London scowled. "Forget about it!"

Bailey smiled back. "Then forget about his brother..."

London wanted to say something, but she bit her tongue. She pulled out two more one hundred dollar bills. "You better be as good as you think you are."

Bailey kept smiling. She was rather enjoying this whole thing. For the first time since she had moved to Seattle, she was having fun. Already, she didn't like London Tipton and everything she represented. So, milking her for more money didn't bother her. In fact, she hoped it would teach London a lesson of some sort. But beyond that, there was something about Cody Martin she couldn't quite put her finger on. But whatever it was, she was looking forward to finding out what it was.

After school, Bailey was in the art room working on her project again when Maya and Addison approached her with apprehension. She noticed them but tried to ignore them. Finally Maya spoke up.

"We know what you are trying to do with Cody Martin..."

Bailey turned and looked at them. "What do you mean?"

"We know London Tipton is paying you to try to date him."

Bailey sighed. "So, are you going to tell him?"

Addison shook her head. "No, we're here to help you!"

Bailey looked at them in confusion. "Huh?"

"Look, we set this whole thing up. London is just the pawn in all of this. You see, my friend Maya here has a thing for Zack Martin too."

Bailey shook her head. "What is it with him? He's just your typical Abercrombie & Fitch wannabe..."

Maya got defensive. "Hey!"

Addison held her back. "Look, Maya's love for him is pure unlike London's who just wants what she can't have..."

Bailey paused. "So, you two really set this whole thing up and want to help me?"

Addison smiled. "We're your girls!"

Maya paused. "You know...in a non prison kind of way..."

Bailey shrugged. "Why not?" It didn't matter to her either way who Zack chose. "Let me know when you have something for me."

Addison smiled again. "Friday night. Bunny Lowenstein is having a party."

"So?"

"It will be a perfect opportunity for you and Cody to go out..."

Bailey paused to consider that. "I'll think about it." And with that, she walked away.

Addison grinned. "And its a perfect opportunity for some revenge." She showed Maya a flier for a World of Chocolates party Bunny was hosting.

The next day, both Maya and Addison stood at the top of a stairwell with large stacks of the flier. But they had been altered. Instead of a World of Chocolates party, it now said it was a real party with free beer.

Maya looked at Addison. "You ready?"

"Lets do this!" And with that, they dropped the fliers down the stairwell and watched as they floated down and other students grabbed them.

_To be Continued..._

**Author's Note: For those who have seen the movie, I will be following the script fairly closely. But, there are certain parts I have substituted more SL related facts or changed some aspects to make them more in tune to who the SL characters are.**** So, some parts will not completely line up with what happens in the movie. **_  
><em>


	5. Covert Operation

_**CHAPTER FIVE**_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

Later on that same day, everything was as it should be. Well, with the exception of the buzz about the big party that was planned for that Friday night. It seemed everyone now knew about it...except for Bunny Lowenstein somehow. And between classes, Zack and London were talking.

"So, which do you like better?"

Zack was looking back and forth between two new rings on London's fingers. One was gold and the other platinum, but both had huge diamonds attached to them them.

Zack paused. "I think I like the gold one better."

London nodded. "Yeah, its more..."

Zack interjected. "Traditional?"

London frowned. "Darn. I was going for shiny..."

Zack just looked at London, but London continued talking. "So, are you going to Bunny Lowenbrau's thing on Friday?"

"Yeah...I might."

London smiled. "Good. You know, I'm not going to bother if you aren't going to be there..."

Zack smiled, but they were soon interrupted by the school's bell ringing.

London was still smiling. "See you there?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah..." And with that, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked off towards his next class. He looked back to see London still smiling, but he didn't realize it was because she was looking at her reflection in the mirror on the inside of her locker door.

After school that day, Zack was hanging out with Maya in a local park near the school. Maya turned to Zack.

"So, have you heard about Bunny Lowenstein's party on Friday night?"

Zack sighed. "Yes...And I really really really want to go. But you know I can't. Not unless Cody goes too."

"I know, and I am working on that. But, so far, he's not going for my girl." She paused. "He's not...you know?"

"A fan of Broadway musicals?" Zack paused. "Well, actually, he is, but he is straight. I'm sure of that."

Maya raised her eyebrows. "How do you know?"

Zack paused. "Well, lets just say several years ago, Cody and I were helping the hotel's engineer/handyman Arwin do some work when we accidentally poked a hole in the wall. On the other side was a room full of a high school girls' soccer team in various stages of undress. Cody was looking just as much as I was. Plus, I once found a picture of Kari Byron is his desk drawer."

"Who?"

"You know...the redhead from Mythbusters."

Maya just gave Zack a look before she continued on. "So, he likes athletic types?"

Zack shrugged. "I have no idea. All I know is he said he'd die before he would ever date anyone who didn't take their studies seriously and couldn't carry on a conversation about a 'myriad' of topics. Whatever a 'myriad' means..."

Maya nodded. "Okay, he likes brainy girls. What else?"

Zack just gave her a look. "You're asking me to investigate the inner workings of my brother's twisted mind? I don't think so!"

Maya sighed. "Well, nothing else has worked. We need to go behind enemy lines here. We need to find out what makes Cody tick so I can give the information to Bailey."

Zack paused. "Well, I guess we could go through his side of our room and see what we can find..."

Maya smiled. "What are we waiting for then?"

An hour later, they were both in the boys' room at the Tipton hotel, and they were going through Cody's desk drawers.

"Here we go. Class schedule. Reading list. Lecture series tickets. Orchestra concert series tickets..."

Maya just looked at Zack. "Lecture series tickets?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah. Cody loves those kind of things. He dragged me to one of them once, and I just about died of boredom."

They continued looking around, and Zack was going through Cody's clothing drawers.

"Lets see. Sweater vests. More sweater vests. Ah ha!"

Maya looked over at him. "What?"

Zack grinned. "Cologne!"

"So?"

"It means Cody wants to smell good and eventually have someone close enough to him to smell it."

Maya nodded and paused. "And what kind do you wear?" She walked over to him and got real close to him.

Zack swallowed. "Ummm...I not wearing any right now. And I like to keep it a secret. You know...leave you guessing."

Later that night, Bailey was sitting alone at a booth in a diner. Not her first choice of places to be, but her Mom was waitressing there while her Dad was beginning his first night as a fishmonger at one of Seattle's wharfs. Bailey had the privacy to do her home work plus get a meal on the house. She was nibbling on her chicken fingers when Maya and Addison slid into the booth across from her.

Maya smiled at her. "We have some more information about Cody for you."

Addison spoke up. "But first, you actually eat your chicken fried?"

Bailey just shook her head and turned back to Maya. "So, what do you have?"

"Well, I was talking to Zack, and I learned Cody likes athletic girls."

Bailey just stared at her. "Are you saying I'm not athletic? I'll have you know I was the three time junior steering champion when I was younger!"

Addison and Maya looked at each other not quite sure what that meant before Maya turned back to Bailey. "We were just checking. Also, Cody also likes brainy girls. He has said he would never date anyone who doesn't care about school and who couldn't discuss a wide range of topics."

Bailey sighed again. "I have a 5.0, and I'm on the honor roll. I think I have that covered."

Maya paused. "Okay...Anyways, I also found out that Cody loves to cook, he loves astronomy and stuff like that, and he's a fan of classical music..."

Bailey nodded. "Alright, I can work with that."

"And tomorrow night, the Seattle Philharmonic is having a concert of classical music in the park. Cody has tickets to attend. You might want to make an appearance there yourself."

Bailey sighed. "Classical music? Really? I'm more a fan of country music myself..."

Maya smiled. "Assail your ears for one night then. This is your chance to make waves with Cody for once. Get him on his own turf, and if you can't dazzle him with your brilliance, dazzle him with your bull..."

Bailey cut her off. "I get the idea."

The next night, Cody and Woody were attending the philharmonic's concert in the park. Cody was laying back on a blanket with his eyes closed enjoying the music. Woody was sitting next to him rummaging through the picnic basket that Cody had brought.

"Doesn't this music just speak to you, Woody?"

Woody said nothing as he feasted away on some potato salad.

"Woody?" Cody sat up and opened his eyes to see his friend going to town. Cody couldn't help himself but to laugh.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it."

Woody looked over at him. "What can I say? I appreciate good food!"

Cody just shook his head and laughed. "That's what I like about you, Woodchuck. You are who you are, and embrace it."

Woody was looking through the basket. "Ummm...Cody...you didn't pack anything to drink."

Cody looked over his shoulder. "My bad. I'll go get us some waters. Be right back."

Cody headed over to the refreshment stand. Of course, unbeknownst to him, Bailey had been observing him the whole time from the refreshment stand. Seeing him coming right for her, she panicked a little and turned her head.

"Two waters, please." Cody pulled some money out of his pocket and paid for them. He grabbed the water bottles and was about to walk back when he noticed something. Rolling his eyes, he walked over next to Bailey.

"If you're planning on asking me out again, you might as well go ahead and get it over with..."

Bailey turned to face him. "Can you keep it down? I'm trying to enjoy the show."

Cody paused and just stared at Bailey for a minute. "You know...there's something different about you today."

Bailey smiled back at him. "Just me." She took a drink from her own bottle of water. "You know, I don't mind them playing Bach or Mozart or Beethoven or even Brahms, but it would be nice if they paid some homage to the lesser known guys like Boccherini or Schobert or Hellendaal..."

Cody just stood there in complete and utter shock. "You know who Boccherini, Schobert and Hellendaal are?"

Bailey got up and began walking away. "Of course. Don't you?"

Cody continued standing there completely flabbergasted. He never saw this coming at all, and now he was feeling something about a girl he hadn't felt in a long time – intrigued. Quickly, he ran up to join her, but he still didn't know what to say.

Bailey turned to him and smiled. "You know, I saw you over there really getting into the music. I have to say, I've never seen you look so irresistible..."

Of course, just as she said the last part, the orchestra had stopped. And as she was speaking louder to be heard over it, every one close in proximity heard her say that to Cody. And they all began laughing. Among those laughing was Cody, and even he wasn't sure why he was doing so.

Bailey felt a little embarrassed, but tried to smile it off. Finally, she turned to Cody again. "Come to Bunny's party with me..."

Cody just looked at her for a moment. "You never give up do you?"

Just then, the orchestra began playing again, and Bailey groaned in frustration. And to make matters worse, Cody was beginning to walk away.

"Was that a yes?"

Cody looked over his shoulder. "No."

"Was that a no then?"

Cody looked over his shoulder again. "No."

Bailey shouted. "I'll pick you up at 9:30 then."

Cody just waived over his shoulder as he made his way back towards Woody. Bailey just stood there with a little smile on her face.

__To be Continued...__


	6. Headbanger's Ball

_**CHAPTER SIX**_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

Friday night had finally arrived. In the suite on the 23rd floor of the Seattle Tipton, Zack and his friend, Theo were getting ready to head out to the party. Well, that was the plan. First, they had to sneak past Carey Martin and get out of the suite. And both crept as quietly as they could, doing their best not to make a sound. But it was for not. Carey Martin had the finely tuned ears that only a mother could have.

Not even breaking her eyes away from the television, Carey spoke. "You should you used the fire escape." Only after she knew that realization had dawned on them that they were busted, did she get up off of the couch and walk over to them.

"Hey...Mom."

"And just where do you think you two are going?"

Zack scrambled for an answer. "Ummm...Just a small study group, Mom."

Carey looked at them. Both were dressed in khakis, button up shirts and blue blazers. "Uh huh...A study group, huh? Otherwise known as a kegger?"

Theo put on his best fake smile. "Its just a party, Ms. Martin."

Carey just looked at him. "And hell is just a sauna..." About that time, Cody came into the suite from helping out Chef Paulo. Carey turned to her other son.

"Do you know anything about a party?"

Cody just shrugged his shoulders. "Not a clue."

Zack sighed. "Mom, people are expecting me to be there!"

Carey just gave him a look. "You know the rules. If Cody's not going, you're not going."

Zack groaned in frustration and stomped over to his brother. "Why can't you be normal?"

"Define normal."

"Bunny Lowenstein's party is normal!"

Carey frowned and turned to Theo. "What's a Bunny Lowenstein?"

Cody rolled his eyes. "Bunny's party is just an excuse for the miscreants that go to our school to have an excuse to drink and cop a feel on each other in hopes of distracting themselves from accepting the emptiness that is their lives."

Zack pulled Cody over to the side. "Can you forget for one night that you are a future Unabomber and please be my brother?" He paused. "Please." He paused again. "Please, Codester. Please do this for me..."

Cody hung his head and began shaking it. "Fine! I'll make an appearance."

Zack looked up and he and Theo began to celebrate. Carey gave Cody a glare before sighing.

"Its starting..."

Zack smiled. "Its just a party, Mom."

Carey shook her head. "No drinking! No drugs! No kissing! No tattoos! No piercings! No ritualistic animal sacrifices!" She paused. "Oh God...I'm giving them ideas."

"Relax, Mom. It'll be fine."

Carey glared at Zack. "Don't do anything stupid. I was a teenage parent once. You don't want to have to go through that. You both have way too much potential to waste."

Cody shook his head. "We're leaving..."

He grabbed his jacket and headed for the front door. Upon opening it, he found Bailey standing there getting ready to knock.

"What are you doing here?"

"9:30, right? I know I'm early..."

Cody sighed. "Whatever. I'm driving."

Bailey shrugged and looked inside. "Since when did your brother become a walking billboard for the Gap?"

Across town, Maya and Addison were both getting ready for the party as well. Maya was going on and on to Addison about a conversation she had had with Zack the day before.

"He actually lit up when I noticed his sweater was from American Eagle. And the fact that I did notice, he said 'really meant a lot to him'..."

Addison shook her head. "Lets forget about you for a minute. How do I look?"

Maya looked at her. "Like my Great Aunt Mildred. Lose the scarf..."

Addison sighed. "I'm just so nervous. The last time I was at a party, it was at Chucky Cheese. Wow, now that was a lot of fun..."

Maya just looked at her and shook her head.

In an affluent part of town, Bunny Lowenstein was playing hostess and serving her guests a selection of French chocolates.

"I want everyone to enjoy themselves, but remember...don't touch anything!"

No sooner had she said that then the front door swung open and a horde of teenagers descended upon them. Some were carrying stereos and speakers, but a lot more of them were bringing in kegs and other forms of alcoholic beverages. Bunny Lowenstein could only look on in horror.

Among the last to arrive at the party was Cody, Bailey, Zack and Theo. Almost immediately, Zack and Theo went in their own direction. Cody rolled his eyes and began walking around the house, watching other people engaging in what he considered degenerate behavior. Bailey was trying her best to keep up with him when a drunk guy stumbled up to her. Slurring his words, he spoke to her.

"Hey...Kiss me!"

Bailey just gave him a look and turned him around to an also inebriated girl. "Kiss her instead..."

"Okay..."

The guy pulled the girl in for a kiss. Bailey looked around trying to find Cody, but he had disappeared. Sighing, she was about to go looking for him again when the girl grabbed her arm. "Hey! Thank you!" Bailey rolled her eyes and continued her search.

Meanwhile, Cody was still walking around when he walked right past London. Upon seeing him, she grinned and made her way over to him.

"Well, well...If it isn't Cody Kitten. Finally seeing what its like to have a social life?"

Cody rolled his eyes. "Ha ha..." He smirked. "Oh wait...is that a new wrinkle on your forehead?"

London gasped and pulled out her compact to check as Cody made his escape. But London was after him quickly.

"So, where's your brother?"

Cody turned around and glared at her. "Stay away from my brother!"

London smirked at him. "Oh...I'll stay away from him, but no guarantee he stays away from me..."

Cody was about to say something in return when everyone heard that one word that gets everyone's attention.

"FIGHT!"

London clapped her hands together and went running to find it. Cody shook his head, but he was almost trampled by would be lurkers. In the main living room of the house, two guys were having a knock-down-drag-out fight. Bunny Lowenstein was freaking out.

"Guys! Please take it outside!"

And soon, she got her wish as the both went crashing through the patio doors.

"Thank you!"

Meanwhile, Cody was still walking around when he walked past London again. But this time, she wasn't alone – she was with Zack. London smirked.

"Look who found me..."

London was about to guide Zack away when Cody grabbed his shoulder. "Zack, wait. There's something I need to tell you..."

Zack slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me! And don't acknowledge me in public. I'm trying to have some fun here and enjoy my teenage years. Its a party that a girl actually wanted to come to with you. I suggest you go find her!"

And with that, Zack walked off with London. Cody just stood there stunned. At the same time, two people were making their way towards Cody. One was Bailey. The other was a girl holding a tray of solo cups.

"You want one?"

Cody sighed, grabbed one and downed it. Just as he did, Bailey arrived at his side. "What's this? I've been looking all over the place for you. And since when do you drink?"

Cody frowned at her. "I don't drink. Alcohol kills brain cells."

"What do you think was in the punch?"

Cody paused and grabbed another cup and downed it.

"What are you doing?"

Cody smirked. "Its a party. Isn't the point of it to get smashed?"

Bailey smirked back. "I say do what you want to do."

"That's funny. You're the only one." And with that, Cody grabbed another cup. "Later..."

Meanwhile, Addison had been circulating and trying to talk to various guys. But her hyper self was a real turn off to them, and all of them just left her standing there. Maya found her and walked over to her.

"Hey, have you seen Zack?"

Addison smiled at her. "Relax. I saw him earlier. I..." She paused and pointed towards the stairs. "Ask and ye shall receive." At that moment, Zack and Theo were walking down the stairs. Maya walked over to meet them at the bottom.

"Hey Zack!"

Zack looked up and saw Maya. He wasn't quite sure what to say, and he could feel some awkwardness.

"Ummm. Hey Maya. Do you know my friend, Theo?"

Maya paused. "Yeah. I think we have Home Ec together." Theo just looked at Maya and then gave a questioning look back at Zack.

Maya continued. "Ummm. That jacket looks great on you." She smiled. "You look amazing tonight."

Zack smiled. "Thanks. I..."

But he was interrupted. "And we all know I look amazing!" London walked down the stairs as Theo smiled at her and nodded his agreement. London wrapped her arm around Zack.

"Come on, Zack...We're congregating around Mr. Cuervo." London began leading Zack away.

He turned his head to look at Maya. "See you around, okay?"

Maya just stood there in shock. She felt hurt. She felt angry. She felt used.

For the next little while, London had her arm wrapped around Zack's shoulder, droning on and on about herself. At one point, she began boasting how her Dad was going to let her model some clothes for the Tipton line of casual wear. As London began striking poses, Zack just looked at her, wondering what the hell he was doing.

Finally breaking away, he began walking around the party. Looking into one room, he saw London showing off even more poses for several other guys. He rolled his eyes and walked on. And that's when he came almost face to face with Maya. The expression on her face was not a happy one. Zack wanted to say something to her, but he just couldn't find the right words. Wanting out of the situation, he walked on and grabbed Theo's arm.

"Is it just me, or has this party really started to suck?"

Meanwhile, Bailey was still looking all over for Cody. As she walked past two people making out in a corner, she felt a hand grab her arm. Turning, she saw the same girl from earlier.

"Really...really...thank you!"

Bailey nodded and continued her search. And that's when she saw Cody with another cup in his hand. She ran over to him and tried to take the cup away from him.

"Why don't you let me have this one?"

Cody pulled the cup back towards him. "This one's mine! Get your own!" And with that, Cody walked into another room. Bailey was about to follow him when London stopped her.

"How did you do it?"

Bailey was getting aggravated. "Do what?"

"Get Cody to act like a human for once in his life!"

Bailey was about to say something when everyone in the whole house heard that familiar guitar rift. It was Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit (Hey, it is Seattle after all).

Bailey ran into the room and found Cody on top of a table dancing along to the song. She stood there not really knowing what to do when Cody started head banging with the rest of them. Unfortunately for him, on one such attempt, he banged his head against the chandelier over the table. Fortunately though, Bailey was there to catch him when he fell.

__To be Continued...__

**Author's Note: For anyone who hasn't seen the movie, the whole thing is on Youtube. I've been using it to refresh my memory for sequence of events and to make sure I catch the good lines from the movie. Now, somethings will be different as I've changed the gender of every major character. For example, the roles played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Heath Ledger are the roles Maya and Bailey are playing. Conversely, the roles Larissa Oleynik and Julia Stiles played are the roles Zack and Cody are playing. BUT...remember, I am changing things to make the more in line of the SL characters. So, while you may have a general idea of what's coming, what you think is coming might not actually be what is coming. Was that confusing enough? lol**__  
><em>_


	7. In Different Lights

_**CHAPTER SEVEN**_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

Bailey had caught Cody before he fell all the way to the floor, but she could definitely tell he was not in good shape. She wasn't sure how many Solo cups he had drank, but by judging by the way he was struggling to stand up and the goofy look on his face, she feared too many. Add that to the fact that he was almost completely dead weight, and she knew he was drunk. And when he began talking, Bailey could tell his speech was definitely slurred.

"I'm okay...I just need to lie down for a minute."

Bailey kept walking him outside to get some fresh air. "Uh uh. You'll lie down when you go to sleep."

Cody laughed. "Sleep is good..."

"Not if you have a concussion it isn't." She finally got him outside and found a chair for him to sit on. "Here, sit down for a minute." Once she got him sitting, she knelt down to try to see if he was going to be okay. Well, she was until she was interrupted.

"We need to talk."

Bailey looked up and saw Maya. Pointing to an almost passed out Cody, she spoke. "I'm kind of busy at the moment."

Maya sighed. "Can you give me a minute?"

Bailey shook her head and made sure Cody was stable – well as stable as he was going to get. Standing back up, she and Maya walked a few feet away.

"What?"

Maya took a deep breath. "Its off. The whole thing is off. You don't have to pretend to like Cody anymore..."

Bailey frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Zack never wanted me. He wanted London the whole time..."

"Maya, do you like the guy?"

"Well...yeah..."

"And was he worth all of this effort?"

Maya paused. "Well, I thought so..."

Bailey looked over to check on Cody and turned back to Maya. "He either is or he isn't. First, London isn't even half the woman you are. Secondly, never ever let anyone make you feel like you don't deserve what you want..." Bailey placed her hands on Maya's shoulders. "Go for it! Fight back!"

Bailey looked over to check on Cody again. And this time, Maya noticed.

"Wait a minute...Are you and he...?"

Bailey sighed. "Don't worry about it. I've got everything under control..."

Maya smiled. "You are! You actually like Cody!"

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Don't push it, Maya..."

Maya kept smiling. "Uh huh..."

Bailey looked over again at Cody and found him about to fall out of the chair. As quick as she could, she hurried over and caught him. She helped him stand up. "Come on, lets get you out of here."

And as Bailey helped Cody stumble away, Maya just stood there shaking her head and laughing. Well, she did until she remembered her own problems.

Bailey helped Cody walk away from the house over to a garden that had two swings set up.

Cody shook his head trying to clear the cobwebs. "This is so patronizing..."

Bailey laughed. "Leave it to you to still use big words when you're smashed..."

Cody laughed too before he paused. "Why are you doing this?"

"I told you...You may have a concussion."

Cody sighed. "You don't care if I never wake up."

Bailey smiled as she helped him sit on of the swings. "Of course I do."

Cody looked up at her. "Why?"

Bailey kept smiling. "Because then I'd have to go out with guys who actually liked me..."

"Like you could find one..."

Bailey laughed. "There. Who needs affection when I have blind hatred?"

Cody looked at her again. "I never said I hated you."

"Could have fooled me..."

Cody closed his eyes. "You don't understand. Its just that..." But at that moment, he fell back backwards, and Bailey almost had to dive to catch him. Once she had Cody upright again and settled, she took a seat on the swing next to him.

"So, why did you let her get to you?"

"Who?"

"London..."

Cody shook his head. "I really, really hate her."

"Why?"

"Long story."

Bailey smiled. "Well, you sure showed her. Drinking your body's weight in hooch really put her in her place..."

Cody laughed. "Well, you know what they say..."

Bailey laughed too. "No, what do they say?"

She looked over and found Cody almost passed out holding on to one of the ropes. She jumped up, and began slapping Cody's face trying to revive him.

"Cody! Open your eyes! Wake up! Look at me!"

Slowly, Cody did so and he was looking up directly into Bailey's eyes. "Hey...You're eyes have a little green in them..."

Bailey just smiled.

"I mean it. They're very...very..." But before he could continue with what he was saying, he couldn't help himself and threw up. Bailey sighed and sat back down. She just rubbed the top of his head as he continued to exercise the demons.

Back at the party, Zack and Theo were talking when London came up behind them.

"Hey, several of us are heading over to Chelsea's for an after party party. You guys coming?"

Zack checked his watch and began hemming and hawing. "I have to be home in twenty minutes."

Theo turned to London. "I don't have to be home until two."

London shrugged. "Last chance..."

Zack tried to act sincere. "I really wish I could, but you know my Mom...Darn."

Theo smiled. "That's a shame." He turned to London. "Shall we?"

London smiled. "Sure. Lets go." She wrapped her arm around Theo and they began walking off.

Zack stood there in shock. "Theo!"

Theo laughed. "Hey, you passed..."

Zack shook his head. "What a jerk!"

As Zack was standing there stewing, Maya walked right past him.

"Hope you had fun tonight..."

Zack sighed. "Tons..." He paused and watched as Maya kept walking. "Hey, Maya...Would it be possible to catch a ride home from you?"

Maya stood there and sighed herself. She knew she wanted to tell him to go jump off a cliff. But she didn't.

Meanwhile, after Cody had threw up, he was in much better shape. By no means was he sober, but he was able to walk on his own and put together coherent sentences again. But, Bailey still had to drive him and his car back to the Tipton. Realizing he still needed a little while, she took him to a small park across the street from the hotel, and they both sat on a park bench. Cody began looking up at the stars.

"This is what I should be doing..."

Bailey laughed. "What? Being a bum on a park bench?"

Cody shook his head. "No. Look up there. What do you see?"

"I see stars and the moon."

"Look harder. We don't know what's out there. There could be almost anything. Maybe even other planets that support life. Maybe life that doesn't have their heads so far shoved up their butts like we do here on earth..."

Bailey smiled. "That would be nice. Who knows...Maybe you'll be the one to find it?"

Cody sighed. "Oh, my Mom would love that. She would tell me I was throwing my life away for nothing..."

Bailey paused. "You don't strike me as the type to ask your mother for permission."

Cody turned to her. "What? You think you know me now?"

Bailey smiled. "I think I'm getting there."

Cody shook his head. "The only thing people know about me is that I'm scary..."

Bailey paused and nodded. "Well, I'm no picnic myself..."

Cody turned to face her again and both just looked into each other's eyes. Bailey felt her heart beginning to race, so she decided to change the subject.

"So, your Mom...is she a pain?"

Cody sighed and shook his head. "Not really. She just wants me to be who she wants me to be..."

"And who's that?"

"Well, for one, not my Dad. She's still so bitter about him that she won't even let us talk about him in front of her. He made contact again with us a few years back, and we're talking. He seems like an okay guy. But Mom doesn't want me to throw my life away like she thinks she did. And then, I just know there is a part of her that wishes I was more like Zack..."

Bailey nodded. "Ahhh...Zack." She paused. "No offense, and I know everyone likes your brother, but...he's not all that."

Cody turned to look at her again. The hints of a smile crept on to his face. He didn't know if it was the alcohol talking or what it was, but he really took a hard look at Bailey. And for the life of him, he really liked what he saw. There was no disputing the fact that she was gorgeous, but it was more than that. Could it be that she was someone who actually understood him? Someone who saw him and could accept him for who he was?

"You know...I might have been wrong about you."

Bailey smiled. "Thanks...I think."

"No, I mean it. You are not what I had envisioned at all. And that's definitely a good thing..."

Bailey kept smiling. Cody, with a little help from the liquid courage still in his system, decided to go for it. He closed his eyes and leaned closer to her.

For her part, Bailey saw it coming, and every fiber of her being wanted to meet him halfway. But those pesky defenses she had built up were sending off warning sirens in her brain. She was confused. And she was scared. She was feeling things she hadn't felt before and didn't know how to deal with them. She wanted...no she needed some time to think and try to figure things out. Well, her brain did anyways. Her heart was telling her she already knew everything she needed to know. Finally, she decided that this particular moment with Cody half drunk was not the time to do this either way.

"Maybe we she do this another time."

Cody opened his eyes and pulled away. He just looked at Bailey in confusion. And then the anger came. He couldn't believe he had let himself been suckered in like this again. Shaking his head, he stood up and stormed off back towards the hotel.

Bailey continued sitting there kicking herself. All things considered, the night had gone pretty well, and there had been a definite thaw in Cody. He had let down his walls some, and she had gotten to see some of the real him. And what she had saw, she had really liked. But, she was afraid those walls were now back up and now, heavily fortified.

About the same time, Maya had pulled her car up to the front of the Tipton. The entire drive over had been eerily quiet. Maya had her anger built up inside and was afraid to unleash it. On the other hand, Zack really did want to say something, but he had no idea what to say or where to even begin. Once out front, Maya put the car in park as Zack undid his seat belt. Gripping the steering wheel, Maya finally spoke.

"You never wanted to go to a French restaurant with me, did you?"

Zack paused. "Yes, I did..."

Maya turned to him. "No, you didn't!"

"Well, no...not actually..."

Maya cut him off. "Then that's all you had to say!" She paused. "Have you always been this selfish?"

Zack just stared out the windshield and swallowed. "I guess..."

Maya was on a roll. "Just because you are handsome, it doesn't mean you can treat people like they don't matter!" She tried to control herself. "I mean, I really liked you. I defended you when people called you shallow...I helped you when you asked me for it...I even relearned French for you!" She shook her head. "And then you just blew me off like I was..."

She was interrupted by Zack pulling her in for a kiss. And not just any kiss. It was a kiss that made Maya's toes curl. And she wasn't the only one who was feeling that kiss. Zack was too.

When they finally broke apart, Zack smiled. He got out of the car without saying a word and began to walk into the hotel. Before he did, he turned back and saw Maya had a look of complete shock on her face. Zack kept smiling. Maybe this night didn't suck so bad after all.

And for her part, Maya was blown away. That was the last thing she had expected. But that kiss...She felt herself getting woozy and held onto the steering wheel to settle herself. And that's when it hit her. And that's when a smile broke out on her face.

"And I'm back in the game!"

__To be Continued...__


	8. Regression

_**CHAPTER EIGHT**_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

That next Monday at school, Cody found himself getting looks, smiles and snickers as he walked the halls. He just kept his head down knowing full well he had brought it all upon himself. Still kicking himself for letting himself get roped in again, he just tried his best to ignore everyone. Of course, walking into his AP English class, he couldn't help but notice all eyes were on him.

One of the new age Rastafarians stood up as he entered. "Nice moves, Mon. Marley would have been proud. But a favor if I could...let me know what you were on Friday night and who I can buy it from!"

Cody rolled his eyes and moved on. That's when one of the cowgirls looked up and smiled. "Dance for me, Cowboy!"

That was about all Cody was going to take when he heard another voice. "So, Cody...How much do we owe you for the table dance?"

Cody looked over and saw London giving him her best fake smile. He just shook his head and took his seat.

The teacher, Miss Tutweiler finally spoke. "Not that I care, but how was everyone's weekend?"

London spoke up. "I don't know...Maybe we should ask Cody?"

Miss Tutweiler just glared at London. "Unless he kicked the crap out of your dumb butt, I don't want to hear it."

London gasped. "You can't talk to me like that!"

Miss Tutweiler smiled. "Of course I can...this is the only school in Seattle you haven't flunked out of yet." Tut made her way up to the podium. "Alright, everyone open your books to page 73, Sonnet 141."

Everyone begrudgingly began doing that.

"In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes,  
>For they in thee a thousand errors note;<br>But 'tis my heart that loves what they despise,  
>Who in despite of view is pleased to dote;<br>Nor are mine ears with thy tongue's tune delighted,  
>Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone,<br>Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited  
>To any sensual feast with thee alone:<br>But my five wits nor my five senses can  
>Dissuade one foolish heart from serving thee,<br>Who leaves unsway'd the likeness of a man,  
>Thy proud hearts slave and vassal wretch to be:<br>Only my plague thus far I count my gain,  
>That she that makes me sin awards me pain."<p>

Everyone looked up at Miss T in shock and surprise.

"Yes, Shakespeare is a dead Englishman, but since he knows his stuff, we'll overlook that. Does anyone want to take a guess as to what he's trying to say in American English?"

She looked around the room, and no one had their hands raised.

Tut sighed. "Fine. He's basically saying that no matter what I see, hear, taste, smell, touch or no matter what my brain is telling me, my heart knows I am in love with you, and it always will be." She grinned at them. "Now, here comes the fun part. Your assignment is to write your own version of it."

The class began grumbling except for Cody, and he raised his hand. And Tut didn't even need to see him do so to know that he had.

"Yes, Mr. I Have An Opinion About Everything?"

Cody paused. "Do you want this in iambic pentameter?"

Tut twirled to face him. "You're not going to fight me on this?"

Cody shook his head. "No, I think its a good assignment. I really look forward to writing it."

Tut just stared at him in shock. "Its a miracle! For once you are going to let me teach my class without having to put your two cents in!" She paused. "You must not be feeling well. I want you to go to school nurse right now!"

"But..."

"No buts...just go!"

Cody shrugged, grabbed his things and headed out of the classroom.

After he left, London looked up. "Thanks, Miss Tutweiler."

"Shut up."

Later that morning, Maya was hanging outside of Addison's locker with her when Zack walked by. Maya just stood there smiling as Zack walked by, and Zack was doing the same.

Addison elbowed her. "Things are looking up."

Maya nodded. "Yeah...But I'm not complaining..."

"Good, but we're not out of the woods yet. While things were going good for you, we have a code red on Cody."

Maya turned to her. "What happened?"

"Not sure. Bailey said things were going better than expected, and then Cody reverted back to Mr. Hyde."

Maya sighed. "Great."

Addison smiled. "Not to worry. I have an idea."

A little while later, Woody was at his locker changing out books for his next class when he heard a voice behind him.

"Cool pictures!"

He turned and saw Addison standing there. "You think so?"

Addison nodded. "Yeah. You have them all. Ronald McDonald, the Burger King, Wendy and Colonel Sanders."

Woody grinned. "Well, they are my heroes. They bring some much joy and happiness to millions around the world."

Addison grinned back. "Tell me about it. One of the first songs I remember is...Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions all on a sesame seed bun..."

Woody laughed. "Me too!"

Addison smiled. "So...look, I have this friend, and she likes your friend..."

Later that afternoon, Bailey and Maya were sitting out by the athletic fields.

"What did you do to him exactly?"

Bailey sighed. "Nothing. He would have been two drunk to remember it anyways."

"But the plan was working!"

Bailey just looked at her. "What do you care anyways? I thought you wanted out..."

Maya smiled. "Well, I did...that was until he kissed me though..."

Bailey smiled. At least someone got the kiss they wanted on Friday night. "Yeah? Where?"

"In the car. I was just about to drop him off, and I ripped him a new one. Next thing I know, he was kissing me."

Bailey shook her head. "Guys. Who can understand them?"

Maya smirked. "Well, as I remember, Zack has a twin brother that you seemed extremely overprotective of on Friday night."

Bailey paused. "That's different..."

"Yeah? How so?"

Bailey glared at her. "None of your business."

Maya was about to say something when Addison came running over, almost getting run over by the track team in the process. Catching her breath, she spoke up.

"Well, I talked to him...I got the scoop."

"What did he say?"

"Hates Bailey with the fire of a thousand suns. That's a direct quote."

Bailey sighed. "Thanks, Addison...That's very comforting."

Maya shook her head. "Maybe his anger is still too fresh. Maybe he just needs a day to cool off?"

But before anyone could say anything, a soccer ball went whizzing by all of their heads. They all looked over to find Cody scowling at them.

Bailey looked up at Maya and Addison. "Maybe two?"

Later on, Cody and Woody were walking down the hall when Cody saw a poster for the upcoming prom. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed it and ripped it down.

"The prom...Sheesh. Why would anyone want to go to an antiquated ritual like that anyways?"

Woody held up his hand. "I would, but I don't have a date..."

Cody just looked at him. "Why? So some girl can buy a dress that costs enough to feed an entire village for a week just so she can look like a fairy tale princess once in her life, make you shell up major bucks for a limo, dinner and flowers only to leave you the minute you walk in the door so she can hang out with her friends? No thank you."

Woody shook his head. "Alright...We won't go...Its not like a have a tuxedo anyways..."

"You're looking at this in completely the wrong way. We're making a statement."

Woody rolled his eyes. "Oh goody! Something different for us!" Woody paused. "And it almost sounds like you have a personal vendetta against the prom. Have you been to one before?"

Cody just shook his head and walked on. While Woody may be his best friend, there were still some things Cody would forever keep to himself.

Even later on that day, Zack and Theo were out on the athletic fields for gym class. Zack was still ticked at Theo for abandoning him, but he wasn't really all the upset considering how well his Friday night had ended. But, the gym teacher, Mr. Moseby was having them do archery today, and this was not something Zack had any interest in. As he was lining up his arrow, he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey Zack!"

Zack turned to see it was London, and as his concentration was broken, he released the arrow. Unfortunately, it found its target – Mr. Moseby's rear end. Moseby was on the ground crying out in pain, but Zack just turned back to London.

"What's up?"

London smiled. "I need to talk to you about something. Prom."

Zack sighed. This was not a conversation he wanted to have with London. "You know the rules. If Cody doesn't go, I don't get to go."

London kept smiling. "Oh, but he is going."

Zack frowned. "How?"

"Let's just say I've gotten it all taken care of..."

Zack kept frowning as London walked away. He really did want to go to the prom...just not with London.

And to London, she did have it all taken care of. Her next stop was to find Bailey, and when she did, London shoved two hundred more dollars into her hand.

"Here...This should cover your expenses for prom."

Bailey looked at the money in her hand. This entire thing was getting completely out of control. She pushed the money back at London.

"I'm tired of playing your sick little game. I want out."

London reached into her bag, and pulled out eight more one hundred dollar bills. "Make it a thousand then..."

Bailey sighed. While her parents were working again, that kind of money would definitely help pay off their bills. And while she hated what she was doing, didn't her family come first? And then there was Cody. She had to admit the thought of going to the prom with him was very appealing, but right now, he was so angry with her that she didn't know if his ice would ever thaw again. But the lure of helping her family finally won over, and Bailey took the money from London.

But since she had committed herself to this, she was going to see it through. So after school, she played a little cloak and dagger and followed Cody when he left school for the day. And when she followed him to the local Discovery Channel store, she couldn't help but smile. This was so the kind of store he would hang around in.

Keeping a safe distance, she watched him looking at all of the various telescopes. And one in particular, he kept coming back too and sighing wistfully as he looked at the price tag. But, he didn't walk away, and instead, he kept looking at it and examining it. Bailey crept closer, but was afraid to get too close just yet. She almost felt as if she was interrupting on his private time. And on Cody's part, he kept getting this strange feeling as if someone was watching him. He shook it off and went back to looking at the telescope.

Once he left that shop, Cody headed for the bookstore next door and was walking around. Bailey decided it was time to finally talk to him. And as Cody turned from an aisle, there was Bailey.

"Excuse me...Have you seen _A Brief History of Time_? I've seemed to have lost my copy."

Cody rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Bailey smiled. "I heard there was going to be a lecture."

Cody shook his head. "You are so..."

Bailey cut him off. "Charming?"

Cody began walking off, but Bailey continued. "Wholesome?"

Cody turned and glared. "Try unwelcome!"

Bailey paused. "You know. You aren't as mean as you think you are. Deep down, I can tell there is a really great guy screaming to get out."

Cody frowned. "Well, you aren't as tough as you think you are. Maybe you should be looking deep down inside yourself and not worrying about my inner self."

Bailey just stared at him. "Someone has their boxers in a twist."

"Don't for a minute thing you had effect one on my boxers!"

"What did I have an effect on then?"

Cody smirked. "Other than my upchuck factor, nothing." And with that, he pressed a book into her hands before he walked out.

Bailey looked down at the book. It was _A Brief History of Time_. Bailey just shook her head and laughed. As aggravating as Cody was being, she had to admit this all was fun. And still, he was driving her crazy...and she was loving every minute of it.

__To be Continued...__

**Author's note: Sorry for the delay in posting, but I just now got to log back in for the first time since some time yesterday. Oh well, here it is. And by the way, doesn't Sonnet 141 really remind you of a certain couple on the show for a little while?**__  
><em>_


	9. Redemption

_**CHAPTER NINE**_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

The next day at school, Maya, Addison and Bailey were all going through the lunch line together. And Maya and Addison were very interested in how things had gone with Cody the day before.

Bailey sighed. "He's still upset..."

Maya just shook her head. "I still don't understand what happened. He actually leaned in to kiss you and you rebuffed him?"

"Don't ask..."

"Why not? Bailey, its obvious that this is about more than just the money now. Why is it so hard to admit that you actually like Cody?"

Bailey took a deep breath. "You wouldn't understand..."

"Try me...And don't think I didn't notice you pretty much just admitted that you do really like him."

Addison spoke up. "Sweet love, renew thy force!"

Bailey just looked at her. "Hey keep it down! People can hear you..."

Maya spoke up. "Look, he opened up to you that night. From what Zack tells me, that's a major accomplishment all its own. So, on some level, Cody has an interest in you. But when you rejected him, you embarrassed him. You have to even the score..."

"What do you mean?"

Maya smiled. "Show him that you are willing to embarrass yourself for him too. Sacrifice yourself on the alter of dignity. You know, even the score so both of you have now been humiliated."

Bailey just looked at her, but she had to admit to herself that what Maya had said did make sense. But the question she had now was how to do that. So, lost in though, she just walked away.

Addison slid closer to Maya. "Hey, keep it down! People can hear you."

The rest of the day, Bailey kept thinking about what she was going to do. Now, she did keep up with her studies, and she was several weeks ahead on all of her assignments. Being a loner/recluse, she had plenty of time to waste, and homework filled the bill. So, she felt she was entitled to zone out a little bit and consider her dilemma. And that's when the perfect idea hit her. She thought it would work, but she was going to need some help.

And get help is just what she did. There was someone she had to find, and once she told her of her plan and slipped her a twenty dollar bill, her plan was set. She only hoped Cody appreciated what she was about to do.

As for Cody, he was in the middle of another grueling soccer practice. And his teammates knew Cody was in a particularly foul mood and he was being more aggressive than ever. Cody didn't mean to be intentionally, but he was still so upset with himself. What was the old expression, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me? Well, Cody was still kicking himself for not learning the lesson the first time. Why had Bailey intrigued him so much? He knew there was something different about her, but he couldn't quite figure out what that was. Yes, she was beautiful. And yes, she seemed really cool and beyond all of the other nonsense everyone else couldn't seem to stop obsessing about. But what he couldn't seem to fathom was why she kept trying with him. He knew he wasn't making things easier on her with his attitude, but he was just trying to protect himself. And then he remembered Friday night. How had he been so stupid? Like an idiot, he leaned in for a kiss, but one was not forthcoming. Cody just shook his head when he heard something.

"You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off you. You'd be like heaven to touch. I wanna hold you so much." Cody looked around trying to find out where that sound was coming from. And he wasn't the only one. Everyone on the athletic field had stopped what they were doing to try to find the source of their interruption. And to Cody, that voice sounded so familiar. "At long last love has arrived. And I thank God I'm alive. You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off you."

And that's when Cody saw her. At the top of the bleachers, there she was...a microphone in one hand and pointing at him with the other. It was Bailey. Cody was speechless. Briefly, he wondered why she was doing this, but this was quickly overcome by realizing that why ever she was doing this, she was doing it for him. And that realization send a shiver down his spine and cause his heart to begin beating very rapidly. And it also put the biggest smile on his face. Cody didn't think anything else could surprise him now, but he was to be wrong. Just then, the school's marching band began playing accompaniment to Bailey's singing.

"I love you baby, and if it's quite all right, I need you baby to warm a lonely night. I love you baby. Trust in me when I say: Oh pretty baby, don't bring me down I pray. Oh pretty baby, now that I found you, stay. And let me love you, oh baby let me love you..."

Cody was now completely blown away. And instead of just singing, Bailey was giving a full on performance as she did. She was dancing throughout the bleachers, and Cody's eyes didn't leave her for a second. Unfortunately, his attention wasn't the only attention her performance had gotten. A large school security guard had been sent to stop the ruckus. And poor Kirby. He was having trouble keeping up with Bailey who was eluding him rather easily.

While Kirby was hunched over to catch his breath, Bailey was able to stop and point at Cody again as she delivered her last lyric. Everyone began applauding her, but none more than Cody. The smile was still on his face, and he didn't think anything could wipe it off. And he couldn't help but laugh. Maybe he had been wrong about being wrong about her. And if she was willing to do this just to get his attention, he had to let her know that she had definitely gotten it. Only problem was Kirby did eventually catch her. Cody paused and thought.

"My turn now."

While many appreciated Bailey's show, it was still enough for her to get detention. And at Cheevers High, that meant spending an afternoon with Mr. Moseby. Bailey had already signed in and was just sitting there waiting for her sentence to be over.

Mr. Moseby tried sitting down on the edge of his desk, but when he did, he felt a sharp pain shoot through him. He wasn't sure how he had forgotten about being shot in the butt with an arrow. So, instead of sitting, he began walking around the room like a guard. And that's when he noticed a girl was looking a little different.

"What's up with you?"

The girl shook her head. "I broke up with my boyfriend, Mr. Moseby."

Moseby just looked at her. "You're eyes are watering. Have you been crying?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, sir."

Moseby paused and looked down. Quickly, he reached down and grabbed her pocket handkerchief. "I'm confiscating this!"

Everyone looked at Mr. Moseby wondering if really had just done that. Well, almost everyone. Bailey was still wondering what Cody's reaction to her little stunt would be. And she didn't have long to find out.

Within a minute, the door to the detention room opened, and in walked Cody. He immediately walked up to Moseby as Bailey watched.

"Mr. Moseby...Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Moseby looked up. "What is it Martin?"

"Well, its about the boys' soccer team. I think I have some ideas about how to improve ourselves."

"Great! We'll talk about it later." And with that, Moseby turned towards his desk. Quickly, Cody turned and looked at Bailey. She smiled at him, and then noticed he was trying to say something. Finally, she realized he was pointing to the window as in she should escape through it.

Moseby turned and looked at Cody again. "You still here, Martin?"

Cody paused and grabbed Moseby's arm to get his attention to divert it away from Bailey. "Well, umm, as you know, we have a big game coming up with James Woods High. As you know, they are a big rivals of ours, and we need to really be on the top of our games."

And with Moseby's attention diverted, Bailey gathered her things, and slipped down the aisle behind Moseby and towards the window.

Moseby sighed. "I understand that, Martin. But what can we do? They are a private school, and as much as they say they don't recruit, we all know they do." Moseby thought he heard something and began turn when Cody grabbed him by the arms again.

"That's why we have to play smarter than them!"

Moseby was about to look again, but Cody wouldn't let him. "Cody, what is going on with you today?"

Cody was a little panicked by the two close calls, but tried to keep his calm. "Nothing Mr. Moseby. We just have to dig into our bag of tricks, you know?"

By this time, Bailey was halfway out the window, and Cody, with his eyes, beckoned her to keep going. Moseby was still oblivious to all of this.

"And just what tricks would that be?"

Moseby heard a noise and was about to turn and catch Bailey red-handed when Cody just reacted. "Like this!" He reached out and placed one hand on Moseby's shoulder and the other on Moseby's forehead. And immediately, Moseby dropped like a rock. Cody looked over and sighed with relief to see Bailey was now gone. Turning his attention back, he helped Moseby stand back up.

And Moseby was glaring at Cody. "What was that?"

Cody swallowed. "The strike of the sleeping cobra? You know, we do that a couple of times, their player drops and we can score easily..."

Moseby paused. "Not bad, Martin...Not bad. I'd do just about anything to finally beat Coach Ilsa."

Cody nodded. "Me too, Sir. Well, I'll let you get back to your detention group." And with that, Cody walked out of the classroom with everyone looking at him and wondering what the heck he had just done. And to be honest, Cody wasn't sure himself. But, he did know he felt really good about it.

Of course, once he left the classroom, he found Bailey waiting on him. Both realized they needed to talk, but both knew the school wasn't the best place as Bailey was supposed to be in detention. So, they decided to head to a place that didn't think they would run into anyone they knew. So, it was about thirty minutes later that they were in a paddle boat out on Puget Sound. And both were having a good time and laughing.

Bailey turned to Cody. "I can't thank you enough for busting me out of detention."

Cody smiled. "Not a problem."

Bailey smiled back. "I thought for sure I was busted when I was climbing out of that window. How did you keep him distracted?"

Cody paused. "Ummm...I just showed him a way to beat our rival next week."

"Well, whatever you did, I truly appreciate."

"Lets just say that after you performance, I had to do something to show my appreciation. My only regret is that Kirby took you away before I could ask for an encore."

Bailey laughed. "Thanks." She paused. "So, what's your excuse?"

"For what?"

"For acting the way we do. To everyone else in school, we're two of the meanest, angriest, antisocial outcasts that ever lived."

Cody paused again. "I don't like doing what other people expect. Why should I live up to their expectations and not my own? I mean, all these people who think they are the cool kids now are going to go on to live average lives. I want my life to be extraordinary. And like Frank Sinatra said, I'll do it my way."

Bailey nodded. "So, you were disappointed from the start, and you've just been covering since then?"

Cody smiled and nodded. "Something like that."

Bailey nodded again. "Then you screwed up..."

Cody turned to her. "How?"

Bailey just looked at him. "You never disappointed me."

For the second time that day, Cody couldn't help but smile. Bailey smiled back before she noticed something off in the distance.

"You up for it?"

"Up for what?"

Bailey just pointed, and Cody began to laugh. "You're on!"

And ten minutes later, Cody and Bailey were engaged a competitive round of laser tag. Both were alternating chasing the other around and shooting. Both were getting shot a lot, but neither one really cared as they were both having a lot of fun. And at one point, instead of just shooting Cody, Bailey just tackled him. And when they landed, she was laying on top of him, just staring into his blue eyes.

"You know...there's something I've wanted to do since last Friday."

Cody was staring back into her beautiful brown eyes with just a hint of green. "What?"

"This!" And with that, Bailey leaned down and captured Cody's lips with her own. Cody could do nothing...and wanted to do nothing more than return that kiss. So, he did. And neither one was in any hurry to break it.

__To be Continued...__

**AN: For those who have seen the original movie, there were four parts of the movie I wondered how to make more in tune with the SL universe. One was in the last chapter, one is in this chapter, one will be in the next chapter, and one in probably the chapter after that. As for how much longer this will go on, I'm thinking 3 or 4 more chapters. To give you an idea, the youtube site I'm using to make sure I have the correct order of things has 11 parts to it. Thus far, I'm up to the beginning of part 9...if that makes any sense. lol**__  
><em>_


	10. Questions Answered

_**CHAPTER TEN **_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

Cody and Bailey spent another hour or so at the laser tag facility. And yes, they actually did play more, but it seemed they were each finding ways to sneak in more kisses from the other. All in all, neither one of them could think of a better time that they had had in their whole lives. Once they were done though, they headed back towards the Tipton. And the whole way there, they actually really talked to each other.

Bailey laughed. "No, none of that stuff is true."

Cody laughed too. "So, you never killed a boy?"

Bailey shook her head. "Well, I don't think I killed him. He tried to grab my butt in the lunch line my first week of school here in Seattle, and I didn't take too kindly to it. Lets just say he will permanently sing soprano now..."

Cody just looked at her. "Remind me not to get on your bad side then..."

Bailey smiled. "My bad side? What about you? You left Jamie Summers in tears!"

Cody sighed. "More to the story there too. I was doing an experiment in chem lab when she startled me from behind and caused me to mess up. Too much sodium nitrate caused a reaction which produced a gas cloud that irritated her eyes and caused them to water. Me, I had goggles on, so I was fine. But, as quickly as I could, I got her over to the chemical wash station to wash out her eyes. Next thing I know, I'm told I had yelled at her and made her cry."

Bailey laughed. "Seriously? Well, that will teach her not to follow the safety rules of the chemistry lab."

"Thank you!" He paused and grinned. "Well, after this afternoon, I'm assuming you aren't a lesbian..."

Bailey shook her head. "Nope, never have been, never will be...not that there is anything wrong with that. I had an old boyfriend once who was controlling and thought that I was his property. He was kind of dumb and couldn't figure out why I always ignored him. Anyways, I wasn't down with subservience, and I never had patience for guys who thought they could tell me what to do."

Cody winced. "I assume he's doing more that just singing soprano now, huh?"

Bailey smiled. "Maybe...I can say the same thing about you, though. After this afternoon, I can definitely put the rumors about you to bed now too. And here I heard you were a fan of broadway musicals..."

Cody frowned. "What's wrong with the theater? I can enjoy the arts and still be attracted to girls!" He paused. "Besides, have you seen the girls that go to our school? Present company excluded, they're all a bunch of sheep."

"Baaa!"

Cody laughed. "Don't make me get my shears..."

Bailey laughed too. "Okay, okay...what about the rumor that you are actually a gourmet cook in disguise?"

Cody shrugged. "Mom has many talents, but cooking isn't one of them. So, unless I wanted to starve, I had to learn to fend for myself. And fortunately, the hotel's chef, Chef Paulo graciously took me under his wing and taught me a few things."

"Am I going to get to see how good you are?"

Cody smiled. "Sure...but I don't serve live chickens."

Bailey shook her head. "Completely false. I like chicken, but mostly fried, roasted or baked. Though, a good chicken pot pie can make me swoon."

"Note to self...Chicken pot pie."

Bailey laughed. "I would be most appreciative. Y'all don't know how to make a good one up here in Seattle."

"Speaking of which...the accent?"

"Its real. I was born and raised on a farm in Kansas."

Cody smiled. "With the scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion?"

"No, with my Mom and Dad. We had to move here a couple of years ago when a tornado destroyed our family farm. I have an aunt and uncle who had moved here a long time ago, so we're staying with them. Mom and Dad have been trying to acclimate and settled, but its been kind of rough."

Cody shook his head. "I had no idea."

Bailey shrugged. "No one does. You're the first person in Seattle I've told about it."

By this time, Cody and Bailey were sitting in the park across from the hotel.

Cody paused. "I'm sorry if I misjudged you."

"You're forgiven if you forgive me for doing the same thing. Something tells me we've both been essentially wearing suits of armor to protect ourselves.""

Cody nodded. "I would have to agree. Though, if I may say, I'm liking very much what's underneath..." He grinned. "So, where were you last year? I'm positive you were never in the loony bin."

Bailey grinned back. "You sure about that?"

"No, but it doesn't matter to me..." Cody leaned in and kissed her again.

Once they finally broke apart, Bailey smiled. "Good, because its not true. Of course, for a while, I thought you were going to drive me crazy..."

"What can I say? You finally broke me down."

"I'm glad..." She leaned in and kissed him. When they finally broke, their foreheads were still touching. "Go to the prom with me..."

Cody pulled back. "Is that a request or a demand?"

Bailey smiled. "Come on, it'll be fun."

Cody shook his head. "No. I don't want to..."

"Why not?"

"Because its a stupid tradition..."

"That's why we should go. No will expect us to be there."

Cody frowned. "Why are you pushing this?" When Bailey didn't respond, Cody continued. "What's in it for you?"

Bailey swallowed. "Nothing. Why do I need a motive to be with you?"

"You tell me..."

Bailey just looked at him. "I thought we were past this, but I get the feeling there is something else you aren't telling me. I just want to spend the evening with my feller."

"Then we can do something else that night. How about I cook you dinner instead?"

"But its our senior prom...It only comes around once."

Cody just stared at Bailey. Those pesky warning sirens of his were going off again. "I have no desire to go. Please understand and accept that..." And with that, he got up and walked off. Bailey sat there watching him leave. Part of her felt guilty for pushing so hard, but part of her knew there was something Cody wasn't telling her.

Meanwhile, back as Cheevers High, Zack and Maya were having another French tutoring session. Every since the night of Bunny's party, things were different between them. And in a good way. Neither could resist smiling at each other when they saw each other. And their tutoring sessions were a lot more laid back. And between giving each other googly eyes, they actually got some work done. Of course, Zack was beginning to get a little frustrated as Maya appeared stuck in neutral, and nothing in their blossoming relationship had moved forward.

"Puis-je vous offre une panais?" _"May I offer you a parsnip?"_

Zack frowned. "Non, vous ne pouvez pas." _"No, you may not."_

Maya was still looking down at the French book. "Ou est le crayon de mon oncle?" _"Where is my uncle's pencil?"_

Zack smirked. "Je ne sais pais. Peut-etre sa place votre cur?" _"I don't know. Maybe its up your butt?"_

Maya looked up at Zack in question and then back down at the French book. "Wait...I don't think that was on this page..."

Zack kept smirking. "Permettez-moi de vous poser une question, Maya. Quand allez-vous me demander de sortir?"_ "Let me ask you a question, Maya. When are you going to ask me out?"_

And with that, Zack got up and left. Maya was sitting there in surprise, letting herself slowly translate what Zack had said. And when she finally realized what he had said, she could only sit there and shake her head.

"Merde..."

Also in the school was Woody. He had stayed after school working on a project, and he was headed to his locker before heading home for the day. He was supposed to meet Cody, but when he had run into Cody several hours ago, Cody had said he had a change of plans. Woody just shook his head. Cody was his boy and all, but even Woody knew Cody had grown very fond of that Bailey girl but was just too stubborn to admit it. Shrugging, Woody opened his locker, and that's when he got a surprise all of his own.

Hanging in side was a white suit, a white shirt and a black string tie just like Colonel Sanders used to wear. And attached to it was a note.

'Colonel, Join me at the prom. I will be waiting. Your very own Southern Belle."

Woody just looked at it in surprise and then began looking around. No one seemed to be looking in his direction, and Woody was baffled. But he couldn't help but smile. He had a prom date and something to wear now. He just hoped Cody understood.

Of course, by then, Maya had realized what she had to do. And she found Zack standing by his locker.

"Hey..."

Zack looked up. "Hey..."

Maya sighed. "Sorry. I guess I was just so caught up in the fact that you actually did like me, I forgot the next step."

Zack smiled. "Its okay. I guess I shouldn't have expected you to take the next step all by yourself. I guess I'm asking...will you go the prom with me?"

Maya had the biggest smile. "I'd love to!" She paused. "What about your Mom though? And your brother?"

Zack grinned. "I saw him and that Bailey girl leaving school earlier together..."

"That's good."

"They were holding hands!"

Maya laughed. "Good for her..."

"What do you mean?" He paused and his eyes went wide. "Wait a minute! Are you saying that she actually really likes my brother?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah, but don't try to get her to admit it though."

Zack laughed. "There is a God!"

__To be Continued...__


	11. The Truth About Cody

_**CHAPTER ELEVEN **_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

Heading home, Zack felt like he was on top of the world. He had a date to the prom with a great girl, and he was really looking forward to Friday night. And on top of that, with his brother now having a girlfriend of his own, maybe that bug that crawled up inside of him would finally die. To Zack, life was looking great. Sure, there was the whole London issue, but he didn't think it would be that big of a deal. Upon walking in to the suite, Zack saw his brother laying back on the couch reading a book.

"Well, well...if it isn't Casanova himself..."

Cody looked up at his brother. "What are you talking about?"

Zack grinned. "Oh, don't try to deny it. I saw you and that Bailey girl walking out of school today, hand in hand. I'm proud of you, Codester."

Cody sighed. "Thanks...I think."

"No, really. I'm happy for you. Though, are you sure about her though? You aren't worried she's going to snap and kill you?"

Cody shook his head. "Do you really believe everything you hear?"

"Dude, there were like witnesses..."

"No, there weren't, because it didn't happen. She told me the truth today, and I don't blame her one bit for what she did. In fact, I admire her for the restraint she showed."

Zack grinned again. "Uh oh...Is my little bro in love?"

"Zack..."

"Dude, more power to you if you are. I think I'm beginning to get that feeling myself..."

Cody looked over at Zack in horror thinking he was talking about London. "Zack..."

"Its all good, Bro. And Friday night, we'll be dancing the night away with our ladies."

Cody shook his head. "You might, but I'm not."

Zack turned and stared at his brother. "What did you just say?"

"I said I'm not going to the prom..."

"But you have to! If you don't, you know Mom won't let me!"

"I have my reasons..."

About that time, Carey came back into the suite from her daily workout.

"Hey, boys..."

Zack ran up to her. "Mom! I need to talk to you about prom on Friday night."

Carey looked over at Cody. "Are you going?"

Cody shook his head, and Carey turned back to Zack. "Sorry, Honey. If Cody's not going, you're not going..."

"But Mom! Its prom. Yeah, we'll dance a little, and we'll kiss a little and then we'll come home. Its no big deal!"

Carey raised her eyebrows. "No big deal, huh? How about the fact that you two were conceived on my prom night?"

Zack was incredulous. "Okay, one, that was way too much information. Two, for the one billionth time, I'm not you or Dad. I won't make those mistakes!"

Carey shook her head. "Sorry, Zack. You know the rules..."

Zack turned and glared at his brother. "You and me are going to talk now!"

Cody looked up just in time to see Zack storming right at him. The next thing he knew, Zack was dragging him into their bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

"Look, Cody...I'm begging you here. What will it take to get you to go to the prom? Want me to pay for everything? Consider it done! And don't give me any crap about you not being able to get a date! You and I both know you could have one if you wanted one..."

Cody sighed and sat down on his bed. "Look, I know you hate having to sit at home because I'm no Harry High School..."

Zack slumped down on his bed too. "Like you care..."

"I do care. But, I'm a firm believer in doing something for your own reasons and not someone else's."

"Well, I wish I had the luxury. I can't even do things for my own reasons because you don't feel like it! You're helping Mom hold me hostage!"

Cody paused and swallowed. "London never told you she asked me out, did she?"

Zack's head whipped around and looked at his brother. "What?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah. Freshman year...her first senior year...right after Dad came back into our lives..."

Zack shook his head in confusion. "You and London?"

Cody held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa...I just said she asked me out. Of course, I turned her down flat. She is soooo not my type."

Zack was even more confused now. "What's the point of this story then?"

Cody sighed. "There was a girl I was interested in though. Her name was Barbara, and she was very intellectual...though a bit too competitive. Anyway, I did go out with her for a few months. She was a senior then too. And she invited me to go to her prom with her..."

"Wait a minute! How did I not know this?"

"Because there are reasons I never broadcasted it."

"And you went? How did Mom allow that?"

"Mom doesn't know. I told her I was going over to a friend's house to study, and she bought it."

Zack shook his head. "Why did that never work for me?" He sighed. "So, what happened?"

Cody tried to hold his emotions in check. "It was all a set up. When I got there, Barbara was with another guy, and they were making out on the middle of the dance floor. I was standing there in complete and utter shock. I couldn't believe she was doing that to me. Zack, it hurt really bad. And to make matters worse, I heard someone cackling laughing..."

"London?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah. Fortunately, there was that girl Maddie who took sympathy on me and explained to me what had happened. London had paid Barbara to romance me and then humiliate me at the prom in front of everyone. According to Maddie, Barbara was leery at first, but when London offered her a full ride to Stanford got her to change her mind. Seems London doesn't take rejection very well..."

"Wow..."

"And I was humiliated. And I decided right then and there, I was never going to let anything like that happen to me ever again. I wasn't going to let a girl get in close enough to ever hurt me like that again..."

Zack paused. "What about Bailey then?"

Cody sighed. "I can't explain that...I wish I could, but I just can't help myself. There's just something...special about her. Trust me, I fought it as long as I could, but I don't want to anymore."

Zack paused to consider everything he had just heard. "And that's also why you have don't want to go to the prom? Because of the bad memories?"

Cody nodded. "Pretty much."

"You know, you could write over those memories. Wouldn't that be just up your alley to go again this year to prove that you were above what happened years ago, and it didn't bother you anymore?"

Cody paused and chuckled. "I hate it when you make sense..." He paused. "But about London, I..."

Zack cut him off. "I'm not going with her. I'm going with Maya."

Cody frowned in confusion. "Who's Maya?"

"You know, petite brunette, sassy...killer bod..."

"Zack!"

Zack smiled. "Relax. She's also shown she won't put up with my crap...And she's one hell of a kisser."

"To quote you, way too much information."

"Well, what kind of a kisser is Bailey?"

Cody shook his head. "I'm not one to kiss and tell."

"So, you have kissed her then..." He paused. "Come on, Cody...Please go the prom? I'd do it for you!"

Cody sighed. "Fine..."

Zack did a fist pump. "Yes!" And with that, Zack ran out of the room to go call Maya to give her the good news. Cody just shook his head and smiled. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

"Hey, its me...Is it too late for me to accept your invitation to the prom?"

Meanwhile, in a house not too far away, Bailey was hanging up her phone. She fell back on her bed, kicked her legs and let out a celebratory scream. Of course, this drew the attention of her mother who came rushing into her room.

"Sweetheart, is everything okay?"

Bailey looked up at her Mom and grinned. "Never been better..."

Eunice smiled. "What's his name?"

Bailey just looked at her mother. "What's whose name?"

"The boy that that made you just jump for joy..."

Bailey grinned. "Cody..."

"Well, you make sure he's good to you." She smiled. "By the way, this came for you today..."

Bailey took the envelope from her mother and opened it. She read it and looked up in shock. "Oh my gosh!"

"Good news, I take it?"

"The best, I mean...This might be the best day of my whole life!"

__To be Continued...__


	12. Prom Night

_**CHAPTER TWELVE **_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

Friday night finally arrived and brought with it the prom. All over Seattle, teens were dressing up in their tuxedos and dresses anticipating the nights of their lives. And this was true in a suite on the 23rd floor of the Seattle Tipton. Zack and Cody were both getting ready, but of course, Zack was taking a little longer than Cody was, and Cody was ready to head out. Out in the main living room area, Carey was sitting back watching some television.

"_And we are about to begin hour one of our George Clooney movie marathon..."_

Carey grinned. "Ohhh...Momma's got her plans for the evening!"

From behind her, Cody came out of the room dressed in his tuxedo and headed for the door.

"Bye Mom, I'm off to the prom..."

Carey never turned around and simply just shook her head. "Very funny, Cody." But when she heard the door close, she turned around and got up to see what was going on. And at that very moment, Zack came out of the boys' bedroom.

"Hey Mom."

Carey frowned. "What are you wearing?"

"Its a tuxedo...Its what one usually wears to the prom..."

"I seem to be hearing that word a lot lately..."

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Zack went over to answer it, and he opened the door to find Maya standing there in her prom dress. Zack just looked her up and down with his mouth wide open.

"Wow...I...uhhh...wow!"

Maya smiled. "Looking pretty good yourself..."

"Thanks." Zack turned back to his Mom. "Bye!"

Carey shook her head. "Stop!" Zack and Maya did. "Turn!" They complied. "Explain!"

"Okay, remember how you said I could date if Cody dated? Well, he found this girl who is perfect for him which is actually kind of perfect for me. You see, I asked Maya to go to the prom with me, and she said yes. And since Cody is going, I guess I'm allowed to based on the aforementioned rule and its previous stipulations of course."

Maya stuck her hand out towards Carey. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Martin."

Zack grabbed Maya's hand before Carey could do anything. "Let's go!" And with that, Zack and Maya were off.

Carey just stood there with her mouth hanging open in pure shock. "This is not good..."

Across town, at the banquet hall where the prom was being held, the dance was in full swing. The dance floor was crowded with couples already getting down with their bad selves. Cody walked in and made his way up the stairs. He began looking around; he nerves causing him to be a little jumpy. And from behind him, he heard a single word.

"Wow..."

Cody turned and saw Bailey standing there. And Cody took the time to look Bailey up and down. He smiled. "You just took the word right out of my mouth..." He held up a single rose for her. "This is for you."

Bailey smiled back. "Thank you."

Cody held out his arm, and Bailey hooked her arm with his. "Where did you get a tux at the last minute?"

Cody chuckled. "I own one. Its kind of funny actually. It seems I'm always finding myself in situations where I need a tux for one reason or another. So, I figured I'd buy one and it would be cheaper than constantly renting one."

Bailey laughed. "Really?"

"Really, though tonight's the first time I've worn it and had a beautiful lady on my arm. Speaking of which, where did you get that dress. Its stunning."

Bailey smiled. "Oh, this? My Mom and I made it for a special occasion. I thought this was special enough, don't you think?"

Cody smiled. "I sure do." Cody paused. "Listen...I'm really sorry I questioned your motives. That was wrong of me, and I apologize."

"Its okay. You're forgiven." She smiled again. "You ready for the prom?"

Cody grinned. "Yes, Ma'am." And with that, they both headed inside.

Back at the Tipton Hotel, Carey was back in front of the TV watching the Clooney marathon. She was still leery about her little men being off at the prom, but it was out of her hands. She knew she had to let them go and hope for the best. Of course, in the middle of _Ocean's Eleven_, there was another knock at the door. Carey got up to answer it only to find London standing there in a prom dress.

"Good evening, Ms. Martin. I'm here to pick up Zack for the prom."

Carey frowned. "Zack's not here. He left for the prom a little while ago with some girl named Maya..."

London's eyes went wide, and her anger was building. "He did what?"

"That's what he said. He said he had asked her to be his date."

London plastered a fake smile on her face and gritted her teeth. "I see. There must have been a mistake." And with that, London turned and stormed off. Carey shrugged and went back to her movie and George.

Back at the prom, Cody and Bailey made their way on to the dance floor and were beginning to dance when Cody spotted his brother and Maya. Cody just smiled and gave his brother a thumbs up. Zack returned the smile and thumbs up before Maya pulled him close and began dancing with him.

Bailey smiled. "Good for them."

Cody nodded. "Yeah. And I hear she won't put up with Zack's antics. He needs that."

Bailey laughed. "Kind of like I won't put up with yours?"

"Well, its come to my attention that I need that too..."

"Good, because I need someone to keep me in line too. I..."

But before she could finish, they were interrupted by Woody who was looking frantic.

"Have you seen her?"

Cody just looked at him. "Seen who? Scarlett O'Hara?"

Woody shook his head. "No, my own southern belle. She said she'd meet me here!"

Cody sighed. "Woody? Have you eaten more spoiled potato salad again?"

Bailey laughed and pointed them both to the stage where Addison stood dressed as a southern belle. Woody turned and grinned upon seeing it was Addison. Addison smiled back and got a wink of encouragement from the band's lead singer. Making her way through the audience, she was finally face to face with Woody.

Addison grinned again. "Colonel..."

Woody took her hand. "Milady..." He kissed it and grinned. "Mmmm...Finger licking good."

Addison laughed, and soon they were joining everyone else on the dance floor. A little bit later, the band finished their current song, and the crowd applauded them. However, the next song being started drew some confused looks from the students.

Cody turned to Bailey. "Is this what I think it is?"

Bailey smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I put in a request..."

Cody smiled. "I like it, but we may be the only two people here who know who Frank Sinatra is..."

"Well, you said you want to do it your way, but I figured this song was better for us..."

Cody laughed. "I agree. Its very appropriate..." He took Bailey into his arms, and they began to dance.

_I have got you under my skin._

_I have got you deep in the heart of me_.

_So deep in my heart, that you are a part of me._

_I have got you under my skin._

_I have tried so, I tried not to give in._

_I have said to myself this affair it ain't going to move so well_.

_But why should I try to resist, when baby I know damn well,_

_That I've got you under my skin._

_Sacrifice anything come what might_

_For the sake of having you near_

_In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night_

_And repeats, it repeat, it repeats_

_Don't you know you fool, you are never going to win_

_Use your mentality, wake up to reality_

_And each time I do, just the thought of you_ _Makes me stop before I begin_

_'Cause I've got you under my skin_

_I would sacrifice anything come what might_

_For the sake of having you near_

_In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night_

_And repeats, how it yells in my ear_

_Don't you know you fool, you ain't got no way to win_

_Why not use your mentality, wake up, step up to reality_

_And each time I do, just the thought of you_

_Makes me stop just before I begin_

_'Cause I've got you under my skin_

_Where does it hurt you baby?_

_Under my skin_

_I would sacrifice anything come what might_

_For the sake of having you near_

_In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night_

_And repeats, how it yells in my ear_

_Don't you know you fool, you got no way to win_

_Why not use your mentality, wake up, stand up to reality_

_And each time I do, just the thought of you_

_Makes me stop just before I begin_

_'Cause I've got you under my skin_

_And I dig you under my skin_

Throughout the whole song, Bailey and Cody danced in each other's arms. And as it came to a close, both leaned in to share a passionate kiss.

Meanwhile, Zack had left to head to the men's room. As he was washing his hands and checking himself out in the mirror, he looked to his left and saw Theo standing there.

"What are you doing here?"

Theo smirked. "I'm here with the London...She just picked me up."

Zack shrugged. "Well, congratulations. She's all yours."

"Just so you know, London only wanted to go out with you for one reason. She had a bet with her friends that she would be the first person to have a date with Zack Martin. After the prom, she was going to dump you flat in front of everyone..."

Zack shook his head. After that and what Cody had told him, he was positive that London was nothing but a cold-hearted bitch. And he was going to do something about it. Zack stormed out of the bathroom.

Back on the dance floor, there was a faster song playing, and Cody and Bailey were dancing to it. And out of nowhere, Bailey just blurted out.

"Omaha..."

Cody looked at her questioningly. "Huh?"

"That's where I was last year. I wasn't in the loony bin, I wasn't a backup dancer for Justin Timberlake, and I'd slit my own wrists before I had to hang out with Justin Beiber. You see, my grammy was sick. So I spent that time taking care of her, making chicken noodle soup and doing all of my homework through correspondence. End of story."

Cody was laughing. "No way!"

Bailey was about to say something when she felt someone grab her arm and drag her away. She turned and saw London scowling at her.

"What is Zack doing her with that poor hussy? I didn't pay you to date Cody so some little slut could snake me with Zack!"

Bailey didn't say anything, but she looked over and saw Cody staring at her. He'd heard everything that London had just said. Cody's expression changed to one that was half hurt, half disgust. He shook his head.

"Nothing in it for you, huh?" With that Cody just stormed off. Bailey gave London a look that would kill before she turned to follow Cody.

A little ways away, Addison was dancing with Woody, and she danced them over to where Maya was talking to someone. Addison tapped her shoulder, and Maya turned around.

"Its about to get extra crispy in here..." And she pointed towards London. Maya sighed and began walking towards London. Addison got in front of her trying to buffer. And when they got closer to London, Addison tried to keep things peaceful.

"London, you look absolutely..." But before she could continued, London just shoved her to the floor.

Maya glared at London but extended her hand to help Addison up. But London was ready to roll.

"You messed with the wrong girl this time! My Daddy will make you pay! You and that jerk, Zack!"

After helping Addison up, Maya turned to London. "Okay, you've gone too far. You just crossed the line!"

London laughed and looked around. Then she turned and delivered a punch right to Maya's nose. Maya went down hard, and London laughed again.

"Oh come on! Get up, you skank!"

London turned to find Zack standing there with his hand revved back ready to punch. He paused and growled. "Lucky for you, I was raised to never hit a woman, but..." He reached over and grabbed someone's cup of punch and poured it over London's head.

"That's for making my date bleed!"

He grabbed another cup and did the same thing.

"That's for my brother!"

Then he grabbed someone's piece of chocolate cake and shoved it in London's face.

"And that's for me!"

He pulled out his cell phone and snapped a picture of London looking so disheveled.

"And if you ever do anything to try to hurt anyone I care about again, I'll make sure this picture appears on the front page of every newspaper and on every gossip website in the world!"

With that, London freaked out and ran out of the dance.

Zack turned, and helped Maya up.

"Are you okay?"

Maya just smiled. "Never been better..." She leaned in and kissed him.

Out in the entrance to the dance hall, Bailey had finally caught up to Cody.

"Would you give me a chance to explain?"

Cody scowled. "You were paid to date me? By the one person I despise the most in this world?" Cody shook his head and began walking off. "I should have known better! I can't believe I fell for this again!"

Bailey ran up to catch him again. She grabbed his arm and turned him towards her.

"Cody, it wasn't like that! I swear!"

Cody smirked at her. "What was it then? A down payment to get me here and then a bonus to humiliate me in public?"

Bailey had tears running down her face. "No! I didn't care about the money! I care about you!"

Cody shook his head. "You are so not who I thought you were..."

He turned to leave again when Bailey grabbed him again and pulled him for a kiss. Cody broke away and just glared at her. Then, he turned and stormed down the steps as Bailey looked on helpless to do anything. All she could do was cry as she watched Cody walk out of the hall and probably her life forever. She turned and saw Zack staring at her.

"You really do like my brother, don't you?"

Bailey wiped her eyes. "No...I think I'm in love with him..."

Zack sighed. "I know it doesn't help right now, but I know he feels the same way about you."

Bailey shook her head. "Maybe at one point, but not any more..." She sniffed. "And I can't blame him if he does hate me now..."

Zack paused. "I know it seems bad, but I've never seen my brother happier than he was here tonight with you. If you really care about him like you say you do, you can't give up."

"What do I do then? He'll never talk to me again!"

"There's something I think you should know...You see, when Cody was a freshman..."

__To be Concluded...__


	13. Righting the Wrongs

_**CHAPTER TWELVE **_

_I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did. _

_Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves._

After hearing what Zack had said about what London had done to Cody years earlier, Bailey felt even worse. While it completely explained why Cody was the way he was, she knew she had now done essentially the same thing. And she was more sure than ever that Cody was forever lost to her. Without him there any longer, Bailey had no reason or desire to stay at the prom. Part of her wanted to go to him and beg his forgiveness, but she knew his pain and anger were still so raw that it wouldn't do any good. So, instead, she simply went home. And when she got there, she walked into her Aunt's kitchen and saw her mother smiling from ear to ear.

"Bailey! Wonderful news! You see..." Eunice stopped. She could see a look of complete devastation on her daughter's face. "Bailey, what happened?"

Bailey shook her head. "I blew it, Momma..."

Eunice pulled out a chair and had Bailey sit down. "Tell me everything that happened."

And Bailey did. She told her mother everything and didn't leave out a single detail.

"Like I said, Momma...I blew it."

Eunice paused. "Do you really love this boy, Bailey?"

Bailey nodded. "Yes, I do. I wasn't looking for it or expecting it, but it happened."

Eunice nodded. "Alright then. Well, while I appreciate you trying to help your Dad and I out, you got yourself into a mess..." She smiled. "But the good thing is there is some hope left. But, we've got to act fast. Here's what you're going to do..."

The next morning, Cody was stretched out on one of the couches in the lobby of the Seattle Tipton working on something. He had to keep his mind occupied or else he would begin thinking of Bailey. He didn't want to think about her. But as much as his mind was firm on that, his heart wasn't listening. It was telling him not to do anything stupid and to not give up. Cody decided to ignore them both and just concentrate on his task at hand.

As he was working, Zack walked up and brought him a venti cappuccino from Starbucks.

"Here...I thought you might want this."

Cody looked up and took it. "Thanks..."

"You sure you don't want to go with us? Maya and I are going to go sailing. It might be fun."

Cody shook his head. "No...I'm fine."

Zack paused. "You sure?"

Cody looked up again. "No."

Zack wished he knew what to tell his brother, but he didn't know what to say.

"Look...I don't know if I ever thanked you for going last night, but it really meant a lot to me..."

Cody nodded. "I'm glad."

Zack paused. "Look, for what its worth, I know what Bailey did was wrong, but I don't think you are the only one hurting. I think she really does have feelings for you, but she got caught in a situation that she didn't know how to get out of."

Cody sighed. "I wish I could believe that..."

"Just don't close the door on her yet. Try talking to her before you let the best thing to ever happen to you get away. Codester, I saw how happy you were last night. Don't throw that away without letting her try to explain."

Cody gave Zack a look, but before he could say anything, Maya joined them in the lobby.

"Hey...You about ready, Zack?"

Zack smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah." He turned back to Cody. "Sure you don't want to come?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah. You two have fun."

Maya waved at Cody before she and Zack began walking towards the door.

"Is he going to be alright?"

Zack shrugged. "I hope so."

Right as Zack and Maya were leaving, Carey got off the elevator and saw them head out the door. She noticed Cody on one of the couches and walked over to him.

"Where's your brother going?"

Cody looked up. "Oh...He's going for a casting call for '16 and Pregnant'. I think he has a real chance."

Carey shook her head. "Very funny...So, tell me about this dance last night. Was it hopping?"

"Parts of it..."

"What parts?"

"The part where Zack publicly humiliated London Tipton..."

Carey's eyes went wide. "He did what? Is he trying to get me fired?"

"Don't worry, Mom. You have nothing to worry about."

Carey sighed. "Oh, Zack..."

Cody shook his head. "Upset that I rubbed off on to him?"

"No...Actually, I'm impressed."

Carey sat down next to Cody. "You know...Mothers don't like to admit when their sons are capable of running their own lives. It means we've become spectators." She paused. "Zack still lets me play a few innings. You've had me on the bench for years." Carey sighed. "When you head off to Yale, I won't even get to watch the game..."

Cody was surprised. "When I go?"

Carey just shook her head. "Please tell me you haven't changed your mind. I actually spoke to your father the other day about this. He's already sent them a check..."

Cody sat there for a few seconds letting that sink in. And then he couldn't help himself. He sat up and pulled his mother in for a big hug.

That Monday at school, while Cody was happy about Yale, he was still going through the motions emotionally. And when he got to his English class that morning, no one was saying a word to him. And for her part, London was sitting in her chair trying to be invisible, hiding behind her sunglasses.

Miss Tutweiler entered the classroom and took her place behind her podium.

"Well, I assume everyone had a chance to finish their poems..." She began laughing. "Well, except Miss Tipton who has an excuse. Lohan, lose the glasses..."

London sighed and removed her sunglasses, but she still wanted to be invisible.

Tut continued. "Anyone brave enough to read theirs aloud?" She looked around the room, and nobody had their hands raised. Finally, Cody raised his.

"I will..."

Tut sighed. "This should be good..."

Cody stood up and made his way to the front of the class. Opening his binder, he began to read. And as he did, he realized that as he was writing it, his heart had won out over his brain. And as luck would have it, Bailey was walking past the classroom when she saw Cody stand up to head to the front. She stopped outside the door and listened.

"I hate the way you talk to me,

And the way you style your hair.

I hate the way you drive my car.

I hate it when you stare.

I hate the way you roll your eyes,

And the way you read my mind.

I hate you so much, it makes me sick;

It even makes me rhyme.

I hate it..." Cody paused to get a hold of his emotions. "I hate the way you're always right.

I hate it when you lie.

I hate it when you make me laugh,

Even worse when you make me cry.

I hate it when you're not around,

and the fact that you didn't call.

But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you.

Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.."

By then, Cody couldn't control his emotions any longer, and tears were welling in his eyes. Unable to hold it in any longer, Cody just ran out of the classroom. And Bailey just watched him run away. Hearing his poem had been hard to hear – well, except for the last two lines. Those gave her the hope she needed to carry out the plan she and her mother had come up with.

After school, Cody headed out for his car to finally go home and put this day behind him. Of course, we he got there, he noticed something was different. There was a telescope sitting on the driver's seat. Cody was taken aback, but immediately opened the door to examine it further.

"Nice, huh?"

Cody looked behind him and saw Bailey standing there smiling.

"A Galileo Intelliscope with a 102 millimeter ED refractor? Is this for me?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah...I figured this might help you get started as you began your exploration of the stars." She paused. "Plus, I had some extra money lying around. You see, this airhead heiress paid me to take out this really great guy..."

A small smile formed on Cody's face. "Is that right?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah, but I screwed up. I ended up falling in love with him."

Cody's smile got wider. "Really?"

"Really..." Bailey smiled. "Its not everyday you fight a guy willing to render a teacher unconscious just to get you out of detention..."

Cody put his hand up to his face, but he was laughing.

Bailey continued. "I'm so sorry. Your brother told me about what London did to you years ago. If I had know, I never would have gone along with her stupid idea. And while I shouldn't have gone along with it in the first place, I can't really regret it. Because I did, I got to to know you, and I don't know if I would have otherwise. And for the rest of my life, I will be thankful that I did. You renewed my faith that there are good guys out there. And I know you are one because I saw it. And if you could ever find it in your heart to give me a second..."

But before Bailey could finish, Cody pressed his lips against hers. When he pulled back, he was smiling as Bailey held her hand up to her lips and looked surprise.

"Does this mean...?"

Cody kept smiling and nodded. "Yeah...Just don't let it happen again. If anyone offers you money again to..."

Bailey shook her head and cut him off. "Will never happen!" She paused. "For one, I have you, and that's all I want and need. Two, my family doesn't need the money anymore..."

Cody paused and realization hit him. "Oh man...That's why you did it!"

Bailey nodded. "My family needed the money. I know what I did was wrong, but I was trying to help them..."

Cody nodded. "I can understand that. I..." He paused and looked at the telescope. "You should take the telescope back then. Your family needs the money a lot more than I need it."

Bailey smiled. "See, I told you you were a good guy. But you didn't let me finish. Saturday night, my Dad hit the lottery. All of the money problems are over. My parents will never have to work again."

Cody smiled. "Congratulations...Just don't become another London."

"If I do, you have permission to smack me. London has no idea what's important in life. I do now."

"Well, I guess no more fishmongering for your Dad, huh?"

Bailey laughed. "Actually, he's keeping the job. For some reason, he really loves it."

Cody laughed too. "Good for him then..."

"There's more. With our windfall, Mom and Dad cut a check to Yale this morning. I got accepted, and now I'm going. Think you can handle having me around for four more years?"

Cody grinned. "Somehow, I think I'll manage."

Bailey leaned in and kissed him passionately. "I mean it. I'm in love with you. Now, I understand if..."

But Cody cut her off with a kiss. "I love you too. Despite everything, my heart knew that. My brain and my defenses fought it, but my heart prevailed in the end." He grinned again. "And Frank was right again...I've got your under my skin, and I dig it..."

Bailey smiled at him. "From now on, we do it _our_ way..." And with that, she leaned in and kissed him again.

Cody broke away and smiled. "You can't just buy me a telescope every time you screw up, you know..."

Bailey nodded. "I know..." She smiled. "But you know, there is a microscope, a chemistry set and maybe even one day your very own Bunsen burner..."

Cody just smiled as Bailey leaned in and kissed him again. But Cody broke away again.

"Before I get too distracted, I'm cooking dinner tomorrow night for Zack, Maya, Addison, Woody and my Mom. Would you be my guest?" He grinned. "I'm making chicken pot pie..."

Bailey laughed. "Wild horses couldn't keep me away..."

And wild horses couldn't keep them away from kissing again in the parking lot, oblivious to everyone else but each other.

_The End._

**Author's Note: That's all folks. I know there maybe questions, but I followed the plot of the movie the best I could while making the characters more closely related to their actual Suite Life characters. Now, if anyone hasn't seen the movie, you can find it at this website - .com/user/sharpie51#p/u/12/nN1J3mZ74RQ . I've found Shakespeare and Suite Life can go hand in hand. Though, I'm not sure what others ones I would consider doing. Maybe Much Ado About Nothing, but since there are no modern versions of it, I would have to make it all up on my own. **_  
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